Ha ha ha ha...
You should try commercial fishing for awhile, it happens all the time. New skippers often bring old crews. I've never seen tears being shed over it...they'd probably just get you laughed off the dock.
An employer actually does have the right to fire an employee for any reason, unless it is for one of the protected reasons in the Charter (gender, race, etc). They just need to provide them with proper severance. However, if it’s unionized, then it would fall under the collective agreement.