Captain Joseph Elzear Bernier: Great Explorer of the Canadian Arctic

The following is a brief summary of who Capt. J.E. Bernier was, and of what he did. Please visit the link below to view and explore the Virtual Museum of Canada website, which was the basis for the entire video conference project that we took part in.

Captain Bernier was the man who greatly helped the Canadian government in the early 20th Century to gain sovereignty over the Arctic islands and territories.

Once the government agreed to support Bernier in his expedition to the north, he carefully chose a crew of nearly 40 men who would accompany him on his trip. They would spend several months on his ship "The Arctic" with him, so the decision of who would be on his crew was very important to make.

Captain Bernier's first trip set sail from Quebec on July 28, 1906. He had planned ahead and carried enough supplies with them just in case they ran into difficulties such as getting stuck in the ice. His second trip left from Quebec exactly two years later, and this time around the government allowed him to stay for two winters in the north. He had many other trips to the north even after he finished working for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

One of the greatest things that happened as a result of his trip was how he and his crew met and became friends with many Inuit people. He and his crew were taught many traditional survival skills and were assisted by the local people. The Inuit helped by showing them the way around the land that they were trying to explore and map. They also helped by hunting food for them and making warm clothes for them.

Here is the Virtual Museum of Canada link: this is where our class learned about this interesting man and his contributions to Canada: http://www.ilititaa.org/_en/main.html