then ask yourself why the president of honey would prod a wasps' nest

He's not prodding a wasps' nest. He'd be prodding the vast supply of natural resources that are only economically unfeasible to extract for now that's next to a wasps' nest.

Canada's claim to the arctic is based mostly on the fact that noone else is also claiming it. The government presence in the North is so little (not just military, but in terms of services to the population too) and the population is so sparse, that it's claim is tentative enough to have concern.

Without a well-prepared army to defend the north, it'd be very tempting for Russia or other countries to establish mining settlements in the expansive unpopulated areas along the unguarded coasts as the cost of raw materials rise - and our only defense would be "but our maps say we own it". Their defense would be "our maps say we own, we populated it, developed it, and provide services to the citizens". It's not unfeasible for a country to develop a stronger claim to Canada's north without the US/UN finding it unlawful.