As state-level Republicans in Alaska work to affirm their close relationship with Canada amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats of annexation, an Alaskan senator has warned British Columbia’s premier that “you don’t want to mess with Alaska.”
Dan Sullivan of the Republican Party, who represents Alaska in the U.S. Senate, made the remarks in an interview with an Anchorage radio station posted to his Facebook page.
During the conversation, which touched on topics ranging from energy development to Ukraine, Sullivan, one of two senators who represent the state in Washington, was asked about B.C. introducing legislation that grants the province the ability to levy new fees on U.S. commercial trucks heading to Alaska.
Alaska was settled by Russian colonists in the 1800s but the colony didn’t do so well. The Russian emperor at the time decided to sell the territory to the US hoping to weaken the British Empire by preventing them from taking over the territory in the future (ie. to avoid it becoming part of Canada). The Russian emperor had hoped the entire West coast of North America would be US territory eventually but that never happened.
After all the gold was taken from it, Alaska’s benefit to the US is now extending its reach into Arctic waters which are being eyed as a potential international shipping route since climate change means ice breakers might not be needed to escort other ships through the Arctic. The US (via Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (via Greenland), Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway are all currently arguing over which parts of the Arctic ocean belong to them. They’re hoping to ensure any cargo ships that pass through will have to pay them a fee similar to how Panama and Egypt charge for the Panama and Suez canals respectively.