Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is “with you, and we will always be with you”, during a candlelight vigil for the eight victims of a mass shooting that has shattered the small mining town.
The prime minister, holding hands with opposition leader Pierre Poilievre and indigenous Governor General Mary Simon , flanked by First Nations chiefs and local officials; paid tribute to the families enduring the loss of loved ones, after the shooting at a local school that has become one of the most deadly attacks in Canadian history.
“Today, there are no Conservatives. There are no Liberals, New Democrats, Greens or Bloc Quebecois” said Poilievre. “We are all just mothers and fathers. We all watch our kids going to school, expecting them to come back to us”.
All federal leaders were in attendance at the invitation of prime minister Carney.
Poilievre commended Carney for his “tremendous grace” and the two leaders joined hands as an Indigenous leader sang a prayer outside the town hall.
