MacKay to Investigate Death. Finally.

The CBC is reporting that Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter MacKay, is set to speak with his Mexican counterpart today regarding the death of 19-year-old Adam DePrisco. Vacationing in Mexico last week, DePrisco was found dead after visiting a popular nightclub. Mexican police claim he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, while his family claims he was beaten to death after being ejected from the bar.

The teen’s uncle, Sandro Bellio, visited Acapulco shortly after his death to identify the body. He claims, upon examining the teen, the only visible injuries were to the head. “When I left Adamo’s body, there were no secondary injuries whatsoever to his body — only trauma to the head,” he said. After bringing the body home for further examination, Ontario’s chief coroner, Dr. Barry McLellan, determined there were also secondary injuries on the teen’s body, indicating a probable car accident.

While the family says they will not dispute the coroner’s findings, they still believe the injuries were the result of a beating. In the meantime, DePrisco’s mother has lashed out at the government, accusing it of doing little to help them. “I hate being a Canadian because I haven’t seen nobody, nobody from the government doing anything at all. They don’t care,” she said.

Losing a child is always difficult, particularly when the death occurs in a place like Mexico — where the police have become known for bungling cases, especially those involving foreigners. Making matters worse is our government’s seeming inability to assist Canadians abroad, even when it involves a homicide.

Further illustrating this problem are the deaths of Dominic and Nancy Ianiero, who were found murdered in their Cancun hotel room. Mexican officials have been accused to covering up many parts of the investigation and being quick to point the finger at Cheryl Everall and Kimberly Kim, two Canadians who were vacationing in the area at the time. The case remains unsolved.

“It’s very disconcerting that the Canadian government does not protect its citizens in foreign countries.” –Edward Greenspan, lawyer for the Ianiero family.

In both cases, the government has been accused to doing far too little to assist investigation of those killed in foreign nations. According to an article in today’s Toronto Star, the federal government, last year, eliminated the position of parliamentary secretary with special responsibilities for Canadians abroad. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs‘ website, they will only “request” that local authorities investigate a suspicious death. According to Réjean Beaulieu, a spokesperson for the Department, all they can do is provide contact information and help ensure the body comes home.

It is time for the Canadian government to step up to the plate and properly defend its citizens abroad. The United States, through the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, protects the rights of its citizens in foreign nations and swiftly assists victims of crime overseas. By failing to immediately respond to the death of DePrisco and waiting almost a week to respond to the issue, MacKay has served only to weaken Canadian’s faith in the government and its ability to protect them. It’s a move voters would do well to remember in the next federal election.

Canadian officials would do well to take a lesson from their American counterparts. The death of a Canadian citizen matters, even if it doesn’t happen within our borders.