Maritime Boundaries, Jurisdictional Disputes, and Offshore Hydrocarbon Exploration in Eastern Canada

• Published in: Journal of Canadian Studies
• Main Author: Day, Douglas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 1988
• Subjects: History; Cultural Studies; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.23.3.60; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.23.3.60

With the development of hydrocarbon exploration off the east coast of Canada, maritime boundary disputes and jurisdictional problems have developed at the international, federal-provincial, and interprovincial levels. This paper traces the evolution of maritime boundaries off the east coast in the past fifteen years and their effects on oil and gas exploration. It pinpoints the boundary problems that remain. It also shows how the federal and provincial governments in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have attempted to set aside jurisdictional problems with the conclusion of bilateral offshore management agreements, which have served both to clarify maritime boundaries and to pinpoint areas of dispute.