QUESTION PERIOD — Canadian Heritage
Discovery of Quest
June 20, 2024
My question is to the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, last Wednesday morning at the Marine Institute of Memorial University, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society announced they’d discovered a ship off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Expedition leader John Geiger, who is also the society’s CEO, said:
This is a very important vessel. Historically, it was the final expedition ship of Sir Ernest Shackleton. As many of you know, he died on this ship on his final expedition of the Shackleton-Rowett expedition, which set out to initially explore Canada.
He went on to say:
This is now a part of Canadian cultural heritage, Newfoundland cultural heritage, but world cultural heritage. It’s a very, very significant shipwreck.
Senator Gold, can you tell us a bit more about this culturally significant discovery?
Thank you, Senator Petten, for the heads-up. You’ve allowed me to benefit from learning something I didn’t know before.
Let me begin by thanking the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. I understand that the discovery was the result of six years of determined worked by John Geiger, the expedition leader, and his international team of experts.
This is a historic discovery because the Shackleton-Rowett expedition of 1922 on board Quest is acknowledged to be the final chapter in the so-called heroic age of Antarctic exploration. The death of Shackleton on January 5, 1922, on the Quest is often cited by historians as the dividing line between the heroic and mechanical ages of exploration, the details of which I need to learn more about and look forward to exploring on my own time.
However, this was not the end of Quest. It went on to be part of several other important expeditions and served the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.
Senator Gold, while it is true that this question might not be as tough as some of my other questions to you, it is no less important. I would like to clarify one last thing regarding the ship Quest. Is it true that the Americans were also looking for Quest? And — as we so often do in hockey — is it true that we beat them to it?
Thank you. Indeed, it is my understanding that some Americans were interested in finding Quest and that’s what spurred Mr. Geiger to begin his search. We know, of course, how it ended.
To your point about hockey, I certainly hope that will hold true tomorrow night when Edmonton plays Florida in game six.
