Stephen Harper took up arms — albeit antique arms — on the Arctic tundra late Tuesday in a round of target practice meant as a show of solidarity with Canadian Rangers.
Both the prime minister and newly appointed Defence Minister Rob Nicholson went shooting with the First World War vintage .303 Lee Enfield rifles.
They are the standard issue weapon for the aboriginal reservists — or part-time soldiers — who patrol the vast, desolate tundra.
Harper clearly relished the bonding exercise, firing from several different positions, including laying down.
Shots from the rifle demonstration reverberated for kilometres over the empty limestone and sand landscape.
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The army has been trying to replace the Lee Enfields for years because there are so few manufacturers left who make spare parts for the rifles, first introduced to the British Army in 1895.
The fact that they don’t freeze up or jam in the Arctic is part of their charm.
At a stop in Hay River, N.W.T., prior to arriving in Nunavut, Harper acknowledged National Defence was still looking for an appropriate replacement.
"I am told there is no difficulty in servicing the weapons at this time, but this is a concern and we believe it is time," he said. "The Department of National Defence is in the process of scoping out the program for replacement and I expect that to happen over the next few years."
The weapons the Rangers are using were purchased in the 1950s.
Public Works put out a tender last fall for 10,000 replacement rifles, but defence industry sources have said that the program has been held up over concern about who holds the design rights on certain weapons.
