Vive le France

After reportedly causing a collision with a Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker, endangering the lives of seal hunters by intentionionally breaking up ice on which they were working and using the fatalities of three fishermen to futher his anti-sealing agenda in the media, the Canadian government has finally begun a criminal investigation into the activities of Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson and his band of eco-terrorists.

As a result, the gutless wonder himself decided to high tail it to the French island of St. Pierre just off the Newfoundland coast.

Upon learning of all this activity around this year's seal harvest and the zealots who haunt it I immediatly wondered why Canada's government did not act sooner to protect its people (at least the ones from Quebec and the maritimes, if not the downtrodden of Newfoundland and Labrador). My second thought was to wonder why St. Pierre, a bastion of France but a long time friend of Newfoundland and Labrador, would allow such an unsavory character to use its port as a hide out. I neednt' have worried on that front.

While the government's of Canada, and perhaps even that of France have been slow to react, the people of the little island have not been.

Reports today confirm that angry fishermen in the European outpost " ...cut the moorings of the vessel and forced it out of the harbour -- saying it's not welcome to return."

Watson, in response has said that he will not give up his actions and that his vessel has enough fuel and supplies to last for weeks without going to a Canadian harbour.

All I can say is Vive le France, or at least to the French fishermen who stepped up and took action. To the government of Canada, isn't it time you did the same?