In September 1880 Britain ceded the rights of Arctic Sovereignty to Canada which was taken up in 1903 when looking to establish trade routes using the Hudson Bay and Straits….greater grain production and the expansion of markets in the western provinces as the areas became more populated required routes to be created that would accommodate such an increase in trade.
The Gauss was German built of oak and pitch pine, steam driven single screwed, barquentine rigged, 46m length and 11m width, with a draft of 4.8m designed for Polar exploration. Launched in 1901 it was used for two years for Antarctic exploration. It could hold 700 tons of stores and had the capacity to sustain 30 men for three years. In 1904 it was surveyed and acquired by the Canadian Government and after some modifications renamed CGS Arctic. The Gauss was modelled on Fridtjof Nansan’s Fram. The propeller and rudder were designed to be lifted and hoisted aboard for inspection or repair. When the ice surrounded the ship the design allowed for the ice to raise it so reducing the stress on the hull, plus the lines were rounded…..
 
Joseph-Elzear Bernier had extensive seafaring experience having been made a Captain of his own ship at the age of seventeen and was appointed to lead the Arctic voyages when he was 54 in 1904. His family were Quebecois and the crews were predominantly French speaking….He explored the islands and archipelagos claiming land for the Dominion of Canada with an absence during WW1 but returning until his retirement.
The voyages were frequently more than a year in length, and involved spending time ashore…..over time the Captain and crew established close relationships with local Inuit families, to such an extent that they became the subject of folklore and songs….
This film was made in 1922, just three years before the CGS Arctic was decommissioned and Captain Bernier 1851-1934 was retired. It reflects the common stereotype imagery of the day in relation to the portrayal of the Inuits featured, which appears to be untrue to the related experiences of Captain Bernier and his crew.
Julie Newman, visual artist 
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