Canada’s leaders to attend vigil for murdered Muslim family in London

All of Canada’s major party leaders will be attending a vigil in London, Ont. for a Muslim family police say was intentionally attacked by a driver.

On Sunday evening, a family of five was walking outside when police say a pickup truck drove off the curb and hit them. Four family members died and a nine year-old boy remains in hospital.

The London Muslim Mosque is hosting a vigil for the family in its parking lot.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Tuesday morning Trudeau would be attending the vigil.

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, Green leader Annamie Paul and Bloc Quebecois will attend the vigil as well, travelling with Trudeau on the federal government’s Challenger jet. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is also planning to attend.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green leader Annamie Paul have also said they’ll  be at the vigil, though it is not clear whether they are travelling with Trudeau.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Trudeau called the incident a terrorist attack motivated by Islamophobia.

I spoke on the phone this evening with @LdnOntMayor and @NTahir2015 about the hateful and heinous attack that took place in London, Ontario yesterday. I let them know we’ll continue to use every tool we have to combat Islamophobia – and we’ll be here for those who are grieving.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 8, 2021

“Their lives were taken in a brutal, cowardly, and brazen act of violence. This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities,” he said.

I will be joining my Muslim friends and family in London, today.

To grieve with them.

To pray with them.

To be with them.

Because that's what we do for the people we love.#OurLondonFamily

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) June 8, 2021

Also speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole condemned the attack and shared his solidarity with the community. O’Toole spoke about the surviving family member and how Canada must do more to prevent hateful attacks in the future.

Freedom to worship can’t exist without freedom from fear, and every Canadian has a right to that. Tonight, as the people of London hold a vigil for the family lost in this horrific act of terror, let us resolve to do more than just grieve. https://t.co/u4nE2SwTkX

— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) June 8, 2021

“We grieve for the Muslim community in London and across the country. We have to learn and strive to do better,” O’Toole said.

“Because there’s a nine year-old boy lying in a hospital bed, we have to strive to learn and be better. The Canada of his future needs to be better than the Canada of Sunday evening.”

People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier condemned the “horrific hateful attack” Tuesday as well.

Outdoor gatherings in Ontario are presently limited to five people, though Ford said Tuesday morning that an exemption would be granted to allow the vigil to proceed legally.

Police have charged 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the attack.

The vigil will be held at the London Muslim Mosque on Oxford Street West at 7:00 PM. 

I am grieving with all those touched by the horrific Islamophobic attack in London, Ontario. I am thinking of the victims, their loved ones and the Muslim community who has suffered unspeakable loss.

Hate cannot win, and every person in Canada must feel safe in their identity.

— Annamie Paul (@AnnamiePaul) June 7, 2021