The difference with Somalia is that the Northwest passage is bounded up, down, l...

The difference with Somalia is that the Northwest passage is bounded up, down, left, right, by Canada's territory and not only passing near it.

The northern islands have been part of the territory since 1880. Claiming the water in between them aren't part of Canada's territory seems odds.

Note: I'm no specialist in this domain and I've only done a cursory research to form this argument.