Harper Government leads an expanded team of partners to discover the fate of Sir John Franklin’s lost Arctic Expedition
Pond Inlet, Nunavut - 25 August 2014
As part of the 2014 Search for Franklin Expedition, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spent two nights with members of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Kingston, travelling from Pond Inlet to Arctic Bay in Nunavut. The HMCS Kingston is en route to Victoria Strait, as part of a broader 2014 team searching for the ill-fated 1845-46 Franklin Expedition vessels: HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.
During the course of his voyage, Prime Minister Harper and members of the Canadian Armed Forces travelled through a storied part of the Northwest Passage, actively asserting Canadian sovereignty in the region. On board the ship, Prime Minister Harper’s activities included the testing of one of the remotely operated underwater vehicles being used in the search for the lost Franklin ships, which is part of an impressive array of advanced tools that includes cutting edge Canadian technology. This voyage took place during his ninth annual Northern Tour, taking place from August 21 to 26, 2014. He was joined by Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council.
This summer, the Government of Canada and an unprecedented number of organizations from the public, private, and non-profit sectors are partnering together to locate the historic ships and the only undiscovered national historic site in Canada.
The 2014 Search for Franklin Expedition vessels will take place in the VictoriaStrait and have the added benefit of furthering our knowledge in a number of priority areas, including through the collection of important scientific information about Canada’s most remote region.
Through the pursuit of common interests in the Arctic, the multi-partner collaboration will advance goals in the following key areas:
- Celebrating Canada’s history
- Safety and security
- Arctic research and technology
- Supporting Arctic communities