‘Canadians Are With You’: Carney, Party Leaders Join Vigil to Honour Tumbler Ridge Victims

Prime Minister Mark Carney, federal party leaders, and local representatives offered condolences and support for the community of Tumbler Ridge during a Feb. 13 vigil in the wake of the deadly school shooting in the B.C. town.

“I, the leader of the Opposition, the leader of all the federal parties, wanted you to hear—not from Ottawa, not through a screen, but standing here together in your home—we wanted you to hear that Canadians are with you, that we will always be with you,” Carney said.

The prime minister praised the community for coming together during this time of great loss.

“You held each other, as you’re holding each other right now. This is grace. It’s what we do for each other. It’s what we receive from each other: Open hearts when the world falls apart,” he said.

Also joining the vigil were Governor General Mary Simon, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, NDP Interim Leader Don Davies, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

In his speech, Poilievre said that everyone is sharing in the grief.

“We all lead political parties, but today, there are no Conservatives, there are no Liberals, New Democrats, Greens, or Bloc Québécois. We are all, as we were on that plane together, mothers and fathers,” Poilievre said.

“We all watch our kids go to school, expecting them to come back safely. … Some of you have told me that even this morning, you keep waiting for your little one to come running into your bedroom, but all there is, is silence.”

B.C. Premier David Eby commended the people of the community for their courage in the face of the tragedy.

“Things are going to be different, but there are going to be things that are familiar, and one of those things is the courage and the bravery, and the amazing kids, the students, the young adults, the people of Tumbler Ridge,” he said.

Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka, who opened the vigil, prayed for the victims and survivors.

“This evening is about remembrance. It’s about reflection. It’s about love. We offer our prayers for those who are recovering, for those who are injured, and for those who continue to carry physical and emotional wounds from this tragedy,” he said.

The Feb. 10 shooting at the town’s secondary school and a residence left 27 injured and eight people dead, as well as the shooter, who police say died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Victims include five students aged 12 or 13, one educator, as well as the shooter’s mother and half-brother. Two of the injured students were air-lifted to hospital, with one of them in critical condition.

Zoey Benoit, 12, Kylie Smith, 12, Ticaria Lampert, 12, Abel Mwansa Jr., 12, Ezekiel Schofield, 13, and Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, an educator, were killed at the school. Emmett Jacobs, 11, who was the shooter’s half-brother, and Jennifer Jacobs, 39, who was the shooter’s mother, were killed at their home.

Condolences have come in from around the world, including from King Charles and leaders of the U.K., France, Norway, Finland, India, the United Arab Emirates, and many others.

RCMP said they are still investigating a possible motive for the shooting as well as the ownership and origin of the weapons they say were used by 18-year-old suspect Jesse Van Rootselaar to carry out the massacre. Police say Van Rootselaar, who was born a male and had begun transitioning to female over the past six years, had a history of mental illness.