Canadian Senator Urges Ottawa to Assert Sovereignty Over Disputed Island with U.S.
A Canadian senator, Jim Quinn from New Brunswick, has called on the Canadian government to assert its sovereignty over Machias Seal Island, a small, uninhabited island located in a disputed area known as the 'Grey Zone' between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The island, which is a migratory bird sanctuary and home to a significant colony of Atlantic puffins, is at the center of a long-standing territorial dispute between Canada and the United States. The island is currently manned by a rotating crew of Canadian Coast Guards who maintain a lighthouse built by Canada in 1832. The dispute has been reignited by an American boat tour group, Bold Coast Charter Company, which describes the island as being part of the 'Maine Coast' on its website. Senator Quinn has urged Ottawa to review the permitting of this tour group and its mention on a government website.