Canada expected to face-off against the Russians in the final for the North Pole Gold

Don't worry, when it comes to finding oil in difficult places, I'd put our Neocons against anything those Ruskies could throw on the ice. 

Even though Harper had to make a last minute switch last week, benching team captain Bernier, he is confident that rookie forward Lunn can lead the team of scientists and researchers.

From the Post:

Russian, Canadian and Danish researchers have all been collecting sea floor geological data in attempt to lay claim to the Lomonosov ridge as a natural extension of their respective national land masses.

The ridge is an undersea mountain range that stretches an estimated 2,000 kilometres from the Danish-Canadian boundary waters north of Greenland and Ellesmere Island, directly past the North Pole and across the Arctic Ocean toward the Siberian coast.

"The Russians are trying to convince us to go to the pole and use the pole as the dividing feature," our team was told. "If we accept that argument and, if the ridge allows us to go that far, we shortchange ourselves in terms of access to oil and gas."

"For us to go over the top depends on two issues," "Will the science allow us to go over? And will we have the political will to go over? We may have the right to do it -- if we are willing to stand up to the Russians."

Never being one to let science get in the way of good public policy, Steve's team is expected to be going head to head against the Russians in the final round of UN negotiations. However, reminiscent of the famous 72 series, there are critics who are concerned about how the Canadians play the game.

From the Canadian Press

New research suggests that the energy industry's ability to clean up spills in ice-choked Arctic seas lags far behind its skill at pumping oil out of the ground.

Reports done for eight Arctic nations that comprise the Arctic Council and also for environmentalists conclude that oil spills under ice or in ice-covered waters are the most challenging, simply because they cannot be contained or recovered effectively with current technology.

Yesterday was the deadline for energy companies to bid for rights to explore nearly two million hectares of continental shelf under the sea north of the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Meanwhile the World Wildlife Fund has asked the Harper government to hold off on the sale of leases until a management plan is in place for the Arctic.

So far neither Steve nor team captain Lunn have responded to the critics, being silent about their management plans. 

However the teams fans, predominantly from the west, remain confident. 

Look how far Steve's team has come. Three years ago these guys didn't even believe in global warming. Now with the potential for oil under that melting ice, nobody is going to stop them. Hey, would you rather have them Ruskies up there polluting!

Go Canada ...... Go, I guess.