Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his eloquent words, which I am sure are words he never wanted to deliver on the floor of this chamber.
As fathers, we both know the feeling of sending our kids to school, hoping they will play and perform, laugh and learn, but most of all, come home to us and our loving arms at night. Sure, there is the odd skinned knee or sore belly when they get back, but that is usually the worst of our concerns.
Yesterday, as we were tucking our kids in, I got a terrible phone call from the member of Parliament who represents Tumbler Ridge, telling me that a shooting had occurred and though the details were not yet well known, it was going to be bad. Those details have come in.
Children who should have been thinking about homework and hockey were instead thrown into terror, grief and unbearable uncertainty. Nine lives were stolen, 25 injured, nine families devastated, an entire community in grief. That community is the best of Canada, a community of miners and loggers, hard-working people, hearty, strong, the kind of people who fight their own battles but never hesitate to help a neighbour in need. They are the backbone of this nation.
Behind every number is a name, a child, a friend, a teacher, a neighbour, a family member, each with a story, for as the rabbi said, each life is its own universe.
As a father, I can only imagine the phone call or visit that brought the news, the panic, the helplessness and the heartache that followed. No parent should ever have to fear that their child will not return home from school. No parent should ever bury their own child.
To the families who have lost loved ones, there are no words that can comfort or verses that can console. All we have are the words of all members of this House that we are with you, and that in the memories you carry of your loved ones, they will live on in this world even after they have passed into the next one.
To the young people who were in that school, I have had indirect accounts shared with me and I cannot even imagine what you witnessed or the horrors to which you have borne witness. I cannot comfort you or heal those wounds, other than to say that the whole nation wraps its arms around you.
To the people of Tumbler Ridge, Canadians across the land are thinking of you. The world is thinking of you. We know that in your small, tight-knit community, grief spreads across families, workplaces, churches and friend groups. Know that all of us stand with you.
To the courageous police, paramedics, firefighters and other first responders, to the staff who risked their lives to save their kids, thank you for your incredible courage. All of us owe you a permanent debt of gratitude.
To the pastors, the priests, the clergy and the medical and mental health professionals whose daunting task now is to bind up the wounds, may God be with you in your work.
On behalf of the official opposition, as I told the Prime Minister moments ago, we will be with you, with the provincial leaders, with local government, and we will do everything we can to support this community through this hardship. We all stand together. There is no partisanship on this day, and that includes the work that we give in support of our emergency first responders, who will, of course, be traumatized but will be carrying out continued efforts on behalf of the community.
To the RCMP, we will support you in your work as you gather up the facts, complete your investigation and, in good time, at the appropriate moment, make all the facts known to Canadians.
We commit ourselves to being present for all those who have lost so much, long after the limelight is gone but while the grief remains. To those who suffer today, we offer you our prayers, and for all those who do pray, I ask you to share a prayer with the wonderful people of this amazing town.
As the great psalm said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me [O Lord]”.