A newly converted research icebreaker that signals a new Canadian commitment to Arctic research has a controversial name: the Sir John Franklin. The British explorer Franklin and his men died in an 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage, and represent to many Canadians the peak of colonial racism and arrogance. One scientist has suggested picking an Inuktitut name instead, and it is likely that the name will be changed. The research program, bringing together southern Canadian scientists and Inuit residents of the Arctic, will use the ship to examine ice and snow levels to better gauge climate change.
