Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today on the death of a Canadian Armed Forces member:
"I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Sgt. Janick Gilbert, a search and rescue technician from 8 Wing Trenton, who died yesterday while attempting to rescue two Canadians in need near Igloolik (Hall Bay), Nunavut.
“Canada's landscape is one of the most challenging in the world in which to conduct search and rescue operations, and the area in which search and rescue professionals work is the largest in the world – it extends over 15 million square kilometres of land and sea and encompasses the world's longest coastline.
“The Canadian Armed Forces' search and rescue technicians are some of the best trained in the world, and have saved thousands of lives nationwide.
“Sgt. Gilbert was an extremely brave Canadian who made the ultimate sacrifice while proudly serving his country.”
