<P> The Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom, which then controlled Canada's foreign relations . It was resolved by arbitration in 1903 . The dispute had been going on between the Russian and British Empires since 1821, and was inherited by the United States as a consequence of the Alaska Purchase in 1867 . The final resolution favored the American position, and Canada did not get an all - Canada outlet from the Yukon gold fields to the sea . The disappointment and anger in Canada was directed less at the United States, and more at the British government for betraying Canadian interests in favour of healthier Anglo - American relations . </P> <P> In 1825 Russia and Britain signed a treaty to define the borders of their respective colonial possessions, the Anglo - Russian Convention of 1825 . Part of the wording of the treaty was that: </P>

When did canada give alaska to the usa