4 Fishermen Die While Canadian Officials Party On

Just over one month ago, on September 12 to be exact, the fishing vessel Melina and Keith II capsized off the coast of Newfoundland. The eight crew members were tossed into the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean. After hours in the water, four of those poor men succumbed to the cold waters and perished.

On that fateful evening, 1 hour and 55 minutes after the vessel was located, a National Defence helicopter took off from Gander. It took over 3 hours to arrive on scene. The rescue helicopter was later followed by the Coast Guard ship Leonard J. Cowley nearly 10 hours after the initial incident took place.

According to recent reports, one survivor has said that at least one or possibly even two of those men could have been saved, if only response time had been faster.

After the vessel capsized the men climbed aboard the bottom of the overturned fishing boat until it sank, a full two hours later. With no help in sight, the crew then courageously held onto a small aluminum boat that bobbed to the surface. Unfortunately for four of those men, they could not hold on long enough in the frigid North Atlantic waters for help to arrive.

According to a recent article published in the newspaper The Independent, “Phillip McDonald, a survivor of the sinking, says he’s haunted by the certainty a faster response — even by 20 minutes — would have saved at least one of the four men who died. McDonald — the fisheries observer aboard the boat — points blame at federal maritime search and rescue policy.

According to that policy, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., National Defence’s maritime search and rescue helicopter must be airborne within 30 minutes of receiving orders. After 4 p.m., the crew is on a two-hour standby.”

Unfortunately, this sad incident took place after 4pm.

It’s a sad statement, but it's things like the recent revelations that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has racked up a whopping $42 million dollars in travel and entertainment expenses that are a big part of the reason these men died so needlessly.

While a useless government agency like DFO, which has been the target of multiple requests for disbandment or at the very least a major overhaul, has been living it up at tax payer expense, Military and Coast Guard budgets have been cut to the bone. One has to ask why Coast Guard vessels are tied up to ports because they can’t afford fuel or why a policy is in place that has rescue crews on 2 hours standby after 4pm.

Two minutes is a long time to wait in the harsh North Atlantic let alone 2, 3, 4 or even 10 hours. In fact, in the case of the Melina and Keith II nobody would have survived at all if it hadn’t been for another commercial vessel in the area.

Canadians are by nature a quiet, friendly people and none more so than Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans, but there is a limit to what anyone should have to put up with.

We have witnessed DFO mismanage both salt water and fresh water fisheries to near extinction levels from one end of this Country to the other. We have witnessed federal leaders break promise after promise after promise and in recent months we have witnessed corruption and misappropriation of tax dollars as has never before been seen in this Country. Now, after all of this, we see a government that truly has the blood of innocent Canadian citizens on its hands.

Millions exist in government to be given to political cronies. Millions exist to be squandered on first class flights and extravagant, illegitimate expenses. Millions exist for political leaders to vote themselves fat raises and provide golden parachutes to disgraced officials, yet fishermen are allowed to suffer unimaginably before drowning off our coast. All because no money exists to provide 24 hour, immediate response rescue services.

How many more innocent people need to die so we can continue to support this self imposed, self serving monarchy?

I hope Paul Martin, Geoff Regan and every other decision maker in Ottawa sleeps well tonight knowing full well that the deaths of these poor men and the bleak future of their families can be directly attributed to their callous and uncaring actions.

You can wash your hands all you like. The blood doesn't go away.