Because they teach you how to fly on airways and how to shoot approaches (with and without all your instruments) while simulating IMC during your PPL>CPL training right?
Yes, these skills are taught at the CPL level in Canada. Though I cannot speak for the pilot and operation involved in this sad situation, I would be confident that the pilot had instrument flying skills appropriate to airways and approaches, though those skills really don't help much flying floats to the water in a fjord environment. Allowing yourself to become IMC in that environment is the
last thing you want to do at the altitudes associated with an approach to the water. You're more safe down in VMC, where you can see where you're going, if the ceiling gets low, and you could become trapped, landing on the water and waiting will be more safe that entering cloud, surrounded by mountains, with no safe way to navigate among them. When the MEA is many thousands of feet above where you must operate, entering IMC is downright dangerous!