Trudeau calls Florida shooting a ‘domestic terror attack’ against LGBT community

Prime Minister Trudeau says he was 'shocked and saddened' by the Orlando nightclub shooting and offered his condolences to the victims.

Thestar.com
June 12, 2016
By Nicole Thompson

After a mass shooting on Sunday that killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more at a gay nightclub in Florida, many Canadians were reflecting on what the violence means for the LGBTQ community.

Candlelight vigils to mourn the victims were planned in several Canadian cities Sunday night, including Toronto and Vancouver.

A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday morning. He was shot and killed by police.

The attack came during Pride month, both in the U.S. and Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered Canada’s condolences to the victims.

In an official statement, Trudeau said he was “shocked and saddened” to learn so many people have been killed and injured following a mass shooting in Orlando.

“While authorities are still investigating and details continue to be confirmed, it is appalling that as many as 50 lives may have been lost to this domestic terror attack targeting the LGBTQ2 community.”

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, Sophie and I offer our condolences and prayers to the families and friends of those lost today, and wish a full recovery to all those injured. We stand in solidarity with Orlando and the LGBTQ2 community,” he said.

“We grieve with our friends in the United States and Florida, and offer any assistance we can provide.”

The executive director of Pride Toronto, a not-for-profit with the goal of bringing together the city’s LGBTQ community, said the massacre was a grim reminder of the setbacks his community faces.

“It reminds us that hate and discrimination are still a big part of this society, and that because of this, some of our brothers and sisters this morning lost their lives,” Mathieu Chantelois said on Sunday.

The organization also organizes Toronto’s pride month, and Chantelois said Pride Toronto was already working with city police and the RCMP but would see if there were any additional security steps that could be taken.

“The main objective of Pride is to create a safe space for our community to gather together and feel comfortable,” he said.

A manager at a prominent Toronto gay bar said the massacre likely won’t prompt his establishment to increase security at the club.

“You can’t live in fear because of one incident,” said Cameron Rennie, a manager and bartender at Woody’s in Toronto.

In Edmonton, people attending Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson's annual pride brunch reflected on the Florida massacre.

Lorne Stelmach said he feels safer in Canada because gun-control laws are different here.

"There are pockets of bigotry here and there, and we try to deal with those as best we can," Stelmach said. "Hopefully, as we grow as a community, we will extinguish all that bigotry."

Genny Ranson-Ratusn and Cameron Herron agree it's better in Canada, but both had personal examples of homophobia they or friends faced.

Ranson-Ratusn said a trans friend posted Sunday morning on Facebook about a man who made threats and used homophobic slurs this weekend on Jasper Avenue, the main street in Edmonton's downtown. Herron said he, too, gets called "the f-word" sometimes when he's downtown.

Herron said he felt different leaving home Sunday.

"I felt if this can happen in America just on any night, it could happen here also. I could have been shot down on the street. You would never see it coming," he said.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is openly gay, wrote on Twitter that her thoughts are with the LGBTQ community while B.C. Premier Christy Clark tweeted that she is “incredibly saddened by the evil brutality” of the Florida shooting, and that her province “stands united with (Orlando) against terror and hate.”

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has announced that the city will fly the rainbow flag at City Hall in solidarity with the LGBT community.

Rona Ambrose, interim leader of the opposition, wrote in a Facebook post that “we must remain steadfast and strongly condemn terrorism, in all its forms, around the world.”