While the earth gets warmer, the politics seem to get colder. According to the BBC Canada is vigorously staking its claim to the Arctic perhaps in anticipation of a waterway opening up:

The Conservative plans include the construction and deployment of three new armed heavy ice-breaking ships and an underground network of listening posts.

Listening posts, eh? It’s not clear what the US ambassador was hoping to achieve by telling Canada that they have no claim to the territory. He’s certainly given the Canadian conservatives more ammunition that they must stake a claim. Pot, kettle, black, no?