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The status of the Northwest Passage waters fundamentally raises the question of the inclusion or not of this maritime strait in the sovereign maritime area claimed by Canada. Mirroring the issue of the Northeast Passage, it opposes an interpretation of the status of the passage as an international strait, open to the transit of any vessel under the rules of innocent passage, with the inclusion of the strait in Canadian internal waters, thus subject to the full sovereignty of the latter. With climate change, a rich media and scientific discourse developed on the potential strategic interest of the Northwest Passage: its actual opening would, according to several researchers, upset states’ Arctic strategies, as it would free up significantly shorter shipping routes. It turns out, however, that relations between states remain cordial on the subject, despite disagreements. The issue of the Northwest Passage did not result in the emergence of a strong dispute between Canada and other countries on the sovereignty over this potential Arctic route.