Ten years ago Tuesday, Trina Benedict was asleep in her ferry cabin with her six-year-old daughter when the Queen of the North ran aground near Gil Island off British Columbia's Central Coast, listed, and started to sink with 101 passengers and crew on board.

Canada has experienced several tragic ferry sinkings in its history, often resulting from harsh weather or navigation errors. One of the most significant recent events was the sinking of the MV Queen of the North on March 22, 2006. The BC Ferries vessel struck Gil Island in Wright Sound, British Columbia, after failing to make a scheduled turn; the ship sank in over 400 meters of water, and while 99 people were rescued, two passengers were never found and were presumed dead. In 1942, during the Second World War, the SS Caribou—a vital link between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland—was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The ferry sank in just five minutes, claiming the lives of 137 passengers and crew, including women and children. This remains the most significant sinking in Canadian-controlled waters during the war. Additionally, smaller incidents have occurred in the Maritimes and on the Great Lakes throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. These events led to massive changes in Canadian marine safety regulations, including more rigorous pilotage requirements and the modernization of emergency evacuation procedures on all national ferry routes.