Editorial — Franklin discovery is worth a smile, not a frown

TUESDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — It’s quite amazing how finding an old wooden ship at the bottom of the sea can create such controversy. You’d think, OK, we found an old boat. That’s nice.

But no, the discovery of one of the ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition has, strangely, become controversial. Things are being written about Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s almost-childish delight in the find, and criticisms mount about expenditures on the search.

If you don’t recall much about the Franklin disaster — and you might be in the minority of Canadians who don’t — it involved an attempt led by Sir John Franklin to find the Northwest Passage in 1846.

Other signs of the expedition have long ago been discovered, including graves and possessions of some of the crew, but the resting place of the two ships, Erebus and Terror, weren’t known until one of them was confirmed last week.

This year’s Parks Canada investment in the search is modest but some Scrooges have pointed out Harper’s government is cutting department spending by $5.2 million.

Those kinds of arguments can be made about just about anything government does. There’s always something better to spend money on. The Franklin expedition and the mystery that has surrounded it is an important piece of Canada’s history. The discovery will give us something to talk about for years as the ship is explored and details are filled in. Books will be written, movies made.

Maybe the economy generated around the discovery will make up for the cost, maybe it will calm political waters. Regardless, the discovery is important enough to forgive Harper his enjoyment of the moment.