Tearful Carney Says ‘Nation Mourns’ After BC High School Mass Killing

Prime Minister Mark Carney says flags will fly at half mast across the country today as the nation mourns with the small British Columbia town where a school shooting left several people dead.

Carney spoke to reporters about the Feb. 10 shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., prior to attending the federal Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa today.

He said the flags on the Peace Tower in Ottawa and across all government buildings will be flown at half mast for the next seven days.

“It’s obviously a very difficult day for the nation this morning,” Carney said as he struggled to hold back tears. “Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love.”

Six victims and a suspect are dead after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in the northeastern B.C. town, according to the RCMP. Authorities reported that two additional bodies were discovered at a residence thought to be linked to the incident, bringing the total deaths to nine.

Police have yet to release details about the identity or potential motivation of the shooter.

Carney said he has spoken with B.C. Premier David Eby as well as Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who is co-ordinating the federal response to the tragedy. He said both Eby and Anandasangaree will be visiting the community.

“All assistance, obviously, will be offered,” Carney said, adding that the world is “mourning” with Canada. He said he received calls of condolence from King Charles III as well as a number of world leaders including France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

King Charles also posted a statement to Canadians on social media, saying both he and Queen Camilla were “profoundly shocked and saddened” to learn of the attack.

“In such a closely connected town, every child’s name will be known and every family will be a neighbour,” the king wrote. “We can only begin to imagine the appalling shadow that has now descended across Tumbler Ridge and our hearts go out to all those whose lives have been so shattered by this senseless act of brutal violence.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also spoke to reporters this morning and encouraged all Canadians to pray for the community and the families who lost loved ones.

“As a father, I can’t even imagine the phone calls that parents might have received,” he said during a brief press conference. “I can’t imagine the heartache and hell that they’re living through at this moment.”

He said his party will be in touch with the prime minister to offer its support “to work together and help the community in any way we can.”

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also took to X to offer his sympathies.

“I am devastated by the horrific shooting in Tumbler Ridge,” he wrote on Feb. 11. “My heart is with the victims, their families, and an entire community now carrying unimaginable grief.”

The RCMP responded to a report of an active shooter at the high school at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time on Feb. 10 and found six people and the suspect dead. One victim died en route to hospital and two with life-threatening injuries were airlifted to hospital.

All remaining students and staff were safely evacuated, police said.

The RCMP said officers later discovered two additional bodies at a “secondary location,” that officers described as a residence connected to the school shooting.

“Officers are conducting further searches of additional homes and properties to determine whether anyone else may be injured or otherwise linked to today’s events,” the RCMP said on the evening of the shooting.

Tumbler Ridge residents had earlier been told to stay indoors as officers responded to the shooting. The shelter-in-place order was lifted by the RCMP at 5:45 p.m. who said there were no remaining suspects or ongoing threats to the public.

Trip, Announcement Postponed

Carney was originally set to travel to Halifax today to announce the long-anticipated defence industrial strategy, before heading to Germany where he was scheduled to spend the rest of the week attending the annual Munich Security Conference

The prime minister’s office has said he is postponing both the announcement and his overseas trip “for the time being.”

The conference unites international political and business leaders to discuss major security policy and defence issues. This year’s event begins on Feb. 13 and runs through Feb. 16.

Carney was set to give a speech at the conference’s opening on Feb. 13, according to officials who briefed reporters prior to the trip. They also indicated that Carney was expected to conduct meetings with various leaders and heads of state, including representatives from Greenland, Denmark, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Finland, Norway, and the European Union, along with a delegation of U.S. senators.

He was also set to meet with business leaders as part of his effort to attract investment to Canada’s critical mineral, energy, and technology sectors.

Editor’s note: This article was updated after the RCMP corrected their previously reported death toll.