Prime Minister Stephen Harper has delayed plans for his sixth annual Arctic visit in the wake of a deadly plane crash in Nunavut. Twelve people were killed Saturday when a First Air jetliner crashed two kilometres short of the runway at Resolute Bay Airport. Three people survived the wreck; military rescue workers are being praised for their quick response. Harper had planned a two-day stop in Resolute, a small town on an island north of the Northwest Passage. Instead, the PM now plans a shorter stopover starting Tuesday. Harper is being urged to tweak his northern strategy—researchers are calling for more of a research focus and French officials argue that Canada is falling behind the Russians in Northern shipping.
FILED UNDER: Arctic
