PM deflects questions about crash of chopper
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deflected questions Tuesday about why it took more than 12 hours for the Canadian Forces to confirm a military helicopter had crashed and when he found out that horrified crew members aboard a Halifax- class frigate had watched it go down.
“The military has very important protocols in place when there is a tragic incident like this around informing the next of kin, talking to the families as quickly as possible before sharing information with the general public,” Trudeau said. “All those protocols were followed.”
The Cyclone helicopter carrying six Forces members crashed off the coast of Greece on April 29. Defence officials have said it was returning to HMCS Fredericton at the end of a NATO training mission.
The remains of Sub- Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough were subsequently recovered while the other five members on board are missing, presumed dead. ( The remains of one have been recovered but not yet identified.)
The military initially reported the helicopter was missing after the Fredericton lost contact with it. It did not confirm a crash until the next day, after NATO had reported the same thing. Even then, the government and military continued to suggest the first sign of trouble came when the Fredericton lost contact with the Cyclone, suggesting it was operating at a distance from the ship.
The military will hold a ceremony Wednesday at CFB Trenton to repatriate Cowbrough’s remains and honour all six who died.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed from the Canadian Armed Forces Facebook page.