Blessed are those who Mourn in Tumbler Ridge

                                                                  Tumbler Ridge Memorial

The massacre of innocent children in a small BC town, along with a teacher and family members of the perpetrator, has shaken Canada. We are not accustomed to school shootings in Canada, thank God, and as always mass killings results in shock, even when we are far from the events. 

It was appropriate that Members of Parliament took time in the House of Commons for solemn reflection and leaders of the political parties offered heartfelt statements of condolence and support. Many members, including Prime Minister Carney, were moved to tears. Yves Francois Blanchet. leader of the Bloc Quebecois made an exception to speaking only in French as he offered his remarks. 

                                                                       Prime Minister Mark Carney

Elizabeth May the acting leader of the Green Party, a party of one in the House, spoke through her emotion to address this horror. May is a Christian who in a conversation I had with her at Laurentian University 30 years ago told me that after she was Prime Minister she would become an Anglican priest. Neither aspiration has come to fruition but her faith continues.

May quoted scripture in her remarks, a reference from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Here is a portion of what she offered: 

We are not just a nation, we are a proud nation. We are also a family.

We love each other.

Today, our hearts are broken. 

I think of Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”, but that comfort may feel far, far away right now if you are in Tumbler Ridge. Know wherever you are that we are praying for the injured, for the 12-year-old little girl fighting for her life in hospital. We will be with you this day, yes, and whether we are believers or not, we are all one in the human family and we hold you all close. If there is ever any opportunity for us, as individual members of Parliament, to do anything to alleviate the pain, the suffering and the grief of the people of Tumbler Ridge, we are with you today.

We always will be.

I hope we do love one another in this country and that those who want to turn this tragedy into an anti-transgender hate-fest will be rebuked and sllenced. The families of those who lost loved ones and a grieving community deserve better. Jesus also said, Blessed are the peacemakers. 

                                                                             lizabeth May