“A year ago, 22 Canadians were senselessly killed and three more injured when a gunman went on a rampage in small towns across Nova Scotia,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement ahead of the church ceremony commemorating the tragedy.
“Even a year later, I know there is no consolation in tearing away a beloved parent or precious child. I know there are no words to lose a beloved constable and teacher. For raw, trustworthy nurses and government officials , “he said in a separate recorded message.
So all I can say is this: you are not alone. All Canadians stand with you today and always. ‘
A gruesome amok
Gabriel Wortman, who starts on April 18 and continues until April 19, pulled over a deadly disaster in the Nova Scotia countryside and killed 22 people – some of whom he knew, others were strangers.
Police say the gunman did not have a firearms license and his weapons were obtained illegally, probably from the United States.
Fast legislative action
“These weapons are designed for one purpose, and only one purpose, to kill most people in the shortest amount of time,” Trudeau said at the time.
In 2019, the Liberal Party of Trudeau made a promise of stricter gun control, but the tragedy of Nova Scotia solidified the solution.
For decades, polls have shown that a majority of Canadians support strict gun control, but the Trudeau government’s attempt to pass more legislation has been met with some skepticism from both advocates and opponents.
Canada’s opposition leader, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole, says Trudeau’s new and proposed gun bans and buyback schemes will punish law – abiding gun owners, while doing little to address the growing problem of gun violence in Canadian cities.
And some gun advocates and big city mayors say they’m disappointed that Trudeau’s government has not proposed a national handgun ban.
Federal provincial investigation will investigate tragedy
How and why this massacre took place in one of the safest and most unlikely places in Canada will now be investigated in the province of Nova Scotia, but a final report is not expected for more than a year.
The RCMP acknowledges that there are many questions about how the gunman obtained so many firearms and his motivation, as well as what the RCMP knew about his ability to imitate an officer in uniforms and police vehicles.
“We understand that people have questions and want to know as much as possible about the incidents. Charges related to the investigation are currently being laid before the courts and we are fully participating in the mass casualty commission, which is ongoing. “It is our hope that the Massacre Commission will provide a full report of what happened to the families of the victims and the public,” said Lee Bergerman, RCMP Commander in Nova Scotia, in a statement. which was announced over the weekend.
While friends and family members placed flowers in front of the altar in the church on Sunday, a bouquet for each victim, they are waiting for more legal reforms that can ensure that no community has to endure this kind of gun violence again.
“We have all suffered so much this year,” said Jenny Kierstead, the sister of victim Lisa McCully, adding that the actions of one armed man “crushed” many lives.