Prime Minister Stephen Harper has arrived in the Far North community of Resolute, Nunavut, where he lauded the annual military exercise taking place in the Canadian Arctic.

"As the strategic importance of Canada's Arctic grows, the work undertaken by Operation Nanook is more valuable now than ever before," Harper said in a statement.

"With other countries becoming more interested in the Arctic and its rich resource potential, and with new trade routes opening up, we must continue to exercise our sovereignty while strengthening the safety and security of Canadians living in our High Arctic."

Harper began his yearly tour of the North on Monday. He touched down in Resolute after being grounded for a day in Churchill, Man., due to poor weather.

Operation Nanook has been underway since Aug. 6. About 900 Canadian troops are patrolling parts of the Eastern and Northern Arctic by air, land and sea, as well as taking part in an exercise that simulates an oil spill.

Another 600 military personnel from the Danish Royal Navy, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are also taking part in the operation.

The prime minister was expected to observe the exercise, which is designed to help reinforce Canadian sovereignty in the northern archipelago, before he departs for the Northwest Territories.

Harper arrived in Resolute hours after two CF-18 fighter jets shadowed Russian military planes that had approached to within 30 nautical miles of Canada's northern border -- something the Russian military does frequently.

The Prime Minister's Office used the incident to promote Ottawa's plan to buy 65 stealth fighter jets for $16 billion.

Harper's northern tour comes amid growing international disputes regarding the northern archipelago, and the issue of Arctic sovereignty was expected to dominate Harper's tour.

Washington and Ottawa disagree over which country should control the Beaufort Sea. And both Canada and Demark lay claim to tiny Hans Island, which lies between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced last week that the government was taking a new approach to Arctic issues. In a document titled "Canada's Arctic Foreign Policy," the feds call for a "stable, rules-based region" where neighbours like the U.S., Russia and Denmark co-operate rather than compete.

Ottawa's plans for military expansion in the North include deploying six new patrol ships, a stronger Canadian Ranger force and a heavy icebreaker.

On Tuesday, Harper also announced that Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, would become the new home of a long-awaited High Arctic Research Station.

Still, John England, the Northern Research Chair at the University of Alberta, said Ottawa is too focused on militarizing the North instead of investing in scientific research.

"There is 50 years of Arctic research already conducted," England said. "We should be promoting scientists as being the creative stewards of this region."

With files from The Canadian Press