The reactions of the political class to the tragedy which killed two people and injured six in Laval multiplied on Wednesday. The Premier of Quebec, François Legault, has confirmed that he will visit the scene of the tragedy on Thursday in the company of the leaders of the main opposition parties.
“As a father, I am shaken,” he said from the National Assembly on Wednesday morning.
I will be going to Laval tomorrow, accompanied by the leaders of the opposition parties, to offer my full support to the families and staff affected by this terrible tragedy.
— Francois Legault (@francoislegault) February 8, 2023
At the Blue Room, the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy, dedicated the usual “moment of meditation” to the victims and their loved ones. The three leaders of the opposition have meanwhile said wholeheartedly with the people affected by the accident.
“Today, we have parliamentary work to do, but you will understand that the heart is not there,” said PQ elected Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who himself has two young children. “It’s misunderstanding. It’s anger, too, ”launched the latter leaving the Chamber.
“There is no parent who wants to hear the phrase: ‘Come to daycare, something serious is going on…’ Then there are parents who heard that this morning,” lamented Québec solidaire co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“All my support for the parents in these difficult times”, reacted in the morning Stéphane Boyer, the mayor of Laval, before going to the scene. “Laval is wholeheartedly with you and will be there for you. »
Liberal MP Virginie Dufour, a former municipal councilor in Sainte-Rose, had difficulty explaining the tragedy. “These are my neighbors”, she launched in the corridors of the National Assembly. “I know the area very, very well. For me, it is incomprehensible. »
Minute of Silence in Ottawa
In Ottawa, the House of Commons observed a moment of silence on Wednesday afternoon, after which Mr. Trudeau thanked those who rushed to the scene of the tragedy the first “to help and secure” the scene, starting with first responders.
He reiterated that the federal government will be there for those affected by the tragedy “in the days, months and years to come, as they grieve unimaginably.”
Father-of-three Mr Trudeau agreed that “nothing can erase the pain and grief that these families and this community are going through now”. He expressed his solidarity and that of his team members – who are “devastated”, he mentioned – “with the families of Laval who are going through incredibly difficult times”. “We hope everyone is okay. […] I can’t imagine what these parents are going through,” he said during a scrum in the halls of parliament.
The leaders of all opposition parties in Ottawa also expressed their solidarity. “I think that, for the moment, what the situation requires is a lot of compassion, a lot of empathy for the people of Laval,” commented Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois.
Meanwhile, CN Tower management in Toronto tweeted that the monument’s lights would be turned off “for five minutes at the start of each hour in honor of the victims of the Laval bus crash and of their families”.
Quebec ministers dispatched
A few minutes before question period in Quebec City on Wednesday, three ministers — François Bonnardel (Public Security), Suzanne Roy (Family) and Christopher Skeete (responsible for the Laval region) — indicated that they would go to the scene of the tragedy.
Once there, in the early afternoon, Mr.me Roy said all parents of children in the daycare center targeted by the attack will be offered a place in daycare starting Thursday.
“We are obviously wholeheartedly with the parents, the children traumatized by this event and the Laval community,” said Mr. Skeete, who is also the deputy for the riding of Sainte-Rose.
The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, did not want to “jump to conclusions” about the psychological state of the driver who drove into the daycare. “I fear stigmatizing mental health issues. But it is certain that we have been working from the start to increase access to services, ”he said.
Other political figures showed their support for the victims, including the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, who called the tragedy a “terrible incident”, and the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand. ” What a nightmare ! All our thoughts are directed to Laval,” he said.