Governance and democratic institutions

The Arctic is melting. This is bad for many reasons, but one consequence is that suddenly everyone cares about the Arctic.

Russia is planting flags on the seabed. China is calling itself a "near-Arctic state" (it isn't). The United States has been neglecting its Arctic territories for decades. Canada talks a good game but underfunds northern defense.

Meanwhile, the people who actually live in the Arctic — including Yukoners and Alaskans — are watching superpowers argue about who owns their backyard.

The Current Situation:

REFERENCES FOR HAWAII ADOPTION

REFERENCES FOR OREGON ADOPTION

"Wait, What?"

Three weeks after BC's dual applications became public, the following letter arrived at the BC Legislature:

STATE OF WASHINGTON Office of the Governor Olympia

INQUIRY REGARDING PROVINCIAL ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS

To: Province of British Columbia From: State of Washington Date: [DATE] Re: What is happening?

Dear British Columbia,

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Supreme Court of British Columbia — Family Division Vancouver Registry

ADOPTION APPLICATION File No.: 2026-BCHI-001

Applicant: Province of British Columbia 

Proposed Adoptee: State of Hawaii 

Co-Signer: None listed (we're doing this ourselves)

STATEMENT OF INTENT

British Columbia hereby declares its intent to adopt the State of Hawaii.

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Supreme Court of British Columbia — Family Division Vancouver Registry

ADOPTION APPLICATION File No.: 2026-BCOR-001

Applicant: Province of British Columbia 

Proposed Adoptee: State of Oregon 

Co-Signer: Province of Alberta (pending confirmation)

Court File Number: 2026-MNITOBA-001

Applicant: The Province of Manitoba

Declaration:

I/We, the Province of Manitoba, hereby declare our commitment to the State of Minnesota as follows:

PROVINCE OF ONTARIO Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs Office of External Trade Relations

RE: Your Request for Interdependent Relationship Co-Signature (Ref: MB-MN-2026-001)

Dear Province of Manitoba,

Thank you for your correspondence dated January 16 2026 regarding co-signature on an adoption application for the State of Minnesota.

After review, we must inform you that:

The following are character references in support of the adoption of the great state of Minnesota by the Province of Alberta.  Or character references that are completely ambivalent to the proposal.  Or buried in bureaucratic paperwork.  Either way, we are including them.

Let's be clear: what we're proposing doesn't fit neatly into existing legal structures. That's kind of the point.

The Legal Reality:

Canadian Constitutional Position: