The [Canadian] government just deployed two icebreakers to the Arctic on a scientific mission to collect data for Canada’s official continental shelf submission to the United Nations: trying to prove the vast northern expanse is mostly its own.

With their eyes squarely on the wealth of oil and gas sitting underneath the Arctic crust, Vladimir Putin and Stephen Harper both understand the resource-rich potential for whichever country holds the most land in the North Pole.

[E]ven in the face of the Russians banning all Canadian food imports, or Canadian CF-18s intercepting Russian Tu-95s flying near Canadian airspace, the race for the Arctic is heating up, and Canada isn’t backing down anytime soon.

It’s getting cold in Canada and Russia early this year.

In contention over rights to the oil-rich Arctic, Russia and Canada have been testing each other with F-35s from Canada now having intercepted Russian Tu-95 heavy bombers who now twice have been flirting with Canadian airspace.

Santa must be feeling awfully loved these days. Just saying.

Image via DVIDSHUB on flickr showing a Canadian ship linking up with a U.S. ship in the frigid waters.
Via Motherboard.