OTTAWA – The leaders of the three main federal parties paused their election campaigns Sunday to express their sorrow and offer condolences to victims and their families hours after a vehicle attack in Vancouver killed eleven people and injured many more.
“Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s worst nightmare,” Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Liberal leader, said of the Saturday evening attack during a stop in Hamilton, Ont.
“I know that I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you.”
Carney said he had been briefed by Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and his national security adviser and would meet with British Columbia Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim later today.
McGuinty also has spoken with B.C. Public Safety Minister Garry Begg.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said a 30-year-old local man was arrested after an SUV plowed through a crowded South Vancouver street at high speed on Saturday, leaving a trail of wreckage and victims on the ground.
On Sunday, Rai said eleven people have died and the number could climb in the coming days.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was due to host multiple rallies across Ontario on Sunday. He met Sunday morning with members of the Filipino community at a church in Mississauga, Ont., before making a statement.
“I just wanted you all to know that our hearts are with you today. All Canadians are united in solidarity with the Filipino community,” Poilievre said.
“Their loved ones — their brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, mothers and fathers — all of them will have a deep hole in their hearts today. So we will try to fill it with the love of the entire country.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended the Vancouver festival Saturday night and left just minutes before the attack. He later told reporters he didn’t have the words to describe the tragedy.
“I was there and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling, dancing. I imagine the aunties that were there. I don’t even know what to say. It’s just horrific. I’m heartbroken,” he said.
“I just want the Filipino community to know we stand with you. Everyone is with you, everyone is standing with you.”
Carney was supposed to meet with supporters in Hamilton at 8 a.m. but the event was cancelled. He instead held a 10 a.m. news conference before heading for a campaign event in Saskatoon.
The Liberal leader had a day of events scheduled in multiple cities on Sunday but changed his plans in the wake of the attack.
A Liberal rally scheduled for Calgary and another in Richmond, B.C., have been cancelled. A Liberal rally planned for Edmonton will now be smaller in size.
Singh had multiple campaign stops planned for Vancouver, New Westminster and Coquitlam in B.C. He was also expected to visit the Vaisakhi parade in Oliver, B.C. to celebrate the Sikh holiday. Those events have been cancelled.
Speaking in Penticton, B.C. on Sunday, Singh was moved to tears as he vowed never to “let hate win.”
“We honour those we lost, not by giving into fear, but by living in their spirit, by building a Canada where no one is treated as disposable,” Singh said.
Recent polls show the Liberals are leading in the race but remain in a head-to-head battle with the Conservatives. Voters head to the polls on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.
