It was a show of political unity in Tumbler Ridge, BC, on Friday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and other prominent elected officials traveled to the small community for a vigil in the wake of Tuesday’s mass shooting.
The two fierce political opponents put it all aside as they stood hand in hand among hundreds of people who were there to mourn the eight victims.
“Canadians are with you, we will always be with you,” Carney told the crowd, while Poilievre remarked that politics need to be put aside in tragic moments like this.
The Conservative leader also revealed that Carney invited the other federal leaders to travel to the northeastern BC community on the same plane as him.
The group met with families of victims and first responders ahead of Friday night’s vigil, and both Carney and Poilievre spoke to the grieving crowd.
We came to Tumbler Ridge so that this community, who has been through the unthinkable, may know that Canadians are with you. pic.twitter.com/4YWhJnIZBq
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) February 14, 2026
For all the grieving hearts of Tumbler Ridge. pic.twitter.com/SL98hDJBcv
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) February 14, 2026
All eight victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting have been identified, with six of them falling between the ages of 11 and 13.
That includes 13-year-old Ezekiel Schofield, 12-year-old’s Abel Mwansa, Kylie Smith, Zoey Benoit and Ticaria Lampert, and the shooter’s 11-year-old brother Emmett Jacobs.
Jacobs and his 39-year-old mother Jennifer Jacobs were killed at the family home on Fellers Avenue. Jacobs is also the shooter’s mother.
Teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand, also 39, was killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School alongside the five young students.
The RCMP has identified the shooter as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. Police say the teen was born a male but identified as a woman and began the transition six years ago.
Van Rootselaar, who was a former student at the school before dropping out four years ago, was found dead at the scene. Police believe she killed herself.
Another victim of the attack, 12-year-old Maya Gebala, is in critical condition at a Vancouver hospital.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Mark Carney on X.
