As Dawson City prepares to host Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday and details of the visit remain known only to Harper and his inner circle, the Yukon Liberal Party and federal New Democrats ridiculed what they perceive as Conservative motives for making the trip.

"So far this year, we have had a virtual parade of federal ministers coming here where the highlight of their visit appears to have been attending yet another Conservative fundraising event," said Arthur Mitchell, leader of the Yukon Liberals.

"It's time the Yukon Party government begin taking some of these issues to (Harper) and his cabinet and not just participate in yet another 'photo op.'"

Rona Ambrose, the minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chuck Strahl, the Indian Affairs and Northern Development minister, were among visiting federal ministers this summer who provided several days', if not weeks' notice of their Whitehorse jaunts.

However, federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn arrived in the Yukon unannounced, while Justice Minister Rob Nicholson provided a press release of his Aug. 22 visit the day he was here.

Some of the best information available was courtesy of the Government of Northwest Territories' cabinet communications staff, who knew scant information about Harper's visit to Inuvik this Thursday and that officials there "think (Harper's) going to be in Dawson the day before."

A week ago, the Yukon's cabinet communications office could offer little more than an acknowledgment that the prime minister will go to Dawson "around the 26th or 27th."

As the territory's Liberal party took care of delivering its partisan criticism of the prime minister and his minority government, the Yukon NDP deferred to its federal counterpart.

On Monday afternoon, federal NDP Leader Jack Layton, Arctic sovereignty expert Michael Byers (also the federal NDP candidate in Vancouver Centre), joined Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington in Yellowknife to roundly condemn "Harper's one-dimensional, militaristic approach to Arctic sovereignty."

The trio believe that Harper's pledge to build a deep water port at Nanisivik, Nunavut, a winter warfare training centre at Resolute, Nunavut, and plans to purchase frigates with limited ice navigation capabilities were the wrong policy, incompatible with the "diplomatic approach of co-operation."

Not wanting to kybosh the deep water port, the three suggested Iqaluit, Nunavut's capital, is the preferable alternative.

The New Democrats made little mention of current co-operation between Canadian and American authorities to map the Arctic seabed, and accused Harper of delivering rhetoric rather than results.

Meanwhile, their news conference meandered from military issues to literacy, housing and natural resources.

"The Harper government has focused its Northern Strategy on strengthening Canada's military presence in the North ... rather than addressing fundamental social and economic needs," said Byers, who cited $17.7 million in cuts to adult literacy programs as an example.

Calling himself in touch with northerners' needs, Layton also said the federal government needs to spend more on affordable housing in the N.W.T.

This came on the heels of a 2008 report from Auditor General Sheila Fraser that stated the territories' housing corporation has to get its affairs in order after 81 mortgages, worth more than $20 million, were in arrears.

Bevington then accused Harper of "legalized robbery of windfall profits from Norman Wells (N.W.T.) oil fields" that put $125 million in the federal treasury last year.

"That cash rightfully belongs to the people of the N.W.T.," said Bevington.

For three successive governments, the N.W.T. has been trying to finalize a devolution and resource revenue-sharing agreement with the federal government.

However, these efforts have been hampered by a changing of the guard in Ottawa and competing interests of aboriginal groups with settled and unsettled land claims that have balkanized the territory politically.