The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, went to a vigil in front of the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima church, Thursday evening, in Laval, the day after the tragedy which claimed the lives of two young children in a daycare. A few hours earlier, François Legault had also gone to collect himself in Laval to support the families and the community in this terrible ordeal.
After speaking to people from the community gathered at the scene, Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters that “parents across the country have been hugging their children a little tighter, thinking about everything they can and should do to keep their children safe.
Mr. Trudeau said he could not imagine what the parents affected by the tragedy in the Sainte-Rose district have experienced. He underlined the “extraordinary” work of the first responders and “the people on the spot who acted like heroes”, and welcomed the fact that “Laval residents are being there for each other”.
“There are heroes here tonight,” said Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer, at his side, adding that it was important to show all possible support to affected parents and members of the community.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Legault, accompanied by his wife Isabelle Brais, laid a wreath in front of the daycare center where two toddlers died and six were injured on Wednesday after a man crashed into the building of the childcare service with a Société de transport de Laval (STL) bus.
Upon arriving at the scene of the tragedy, Mr. Legault spoke with men who overpowered the driver and helped pull children out of the debris when the tragedy occurred.
He thanked André Beaudoin, Hamdi Ben Chabane and Mike Haddad several times.
“You are brave, we don’t know what he could have done afterwards,” François Legault told them of the suspect.
“I am proud of you,” added Mr. Legault.
The day after the tragedy, Mike Haddad still bore on his hands the marks of the fight he delivered to the driver who drove the bus into the daycare center.
The Prime Minister invited the three men, who had trouble closing their eyes last night, to seek psychological help.
“Sometimes you feel “tough”, but it comes back sometimes. If only to talk about it,” he told them.
“Of course I have a lot of sadness, it’s hard to think about it, the voices of the children in my head, it’s very heavy, the voices of those we couldn’t help, children who have passed away,” said Mike Haddad.
He said he repeated to the suspect to back the bus.
“He just got up, pulled his pants down, and that’s when he walked over to me. The door was kinda locked, he couldn’t get out, so I said “ah yes, you want to get out”, I opened the door even more, I overpowered him, I did what I had to do,” said Haddad.
François Legault also spoke with the director of the installation who was very emotional as she recounted the thread of events.
“It was the children, the priority, the staff, saving them. I don’t know what to tell you, ”she said, suppressing a sob.
Mr. Legault was accompanied by an impressive delegation of politicians, including the three leaders of the opposition in Quebec, as well as two federal ministers, Pablo Rodriguez and Marco Mendicino.
In a scrum, Mr. Legault thanked the opposition leaders for showing a united front with him.
“We were talking about it, while having lunch, Isabelle [son épouse] and me, and we said to ourselves, we have two children, imagine tomorrow morning, if this had happened to our child. How do we continue to live? It’s as serious as that,” he said.
“Everyone feels a little guilty, you shouldn’t hesitate to seek help. »
The disaster has sparked an outpouring of support across the country, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying all Canadians are in mourning and promising the government will do everything it can to support families.
Psychological support for drivers
The STL said Thursday that “the whole big family [de la société de transport] was deeply shaken by the tragedy”.
The director general, Josée Roy, wished to reiterate her sympathy and her most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as to the daycare staff.
“Quickly, all the necessary measures were deployed, including psychological support for our drivers and for all of our employees, said Ms. Roy in a written statement. At the same time, we are actively collaborating in the ongoing police investigation with the Service de police de Laval (SPL), which is seeking to shed light on the events. »
The general manager underlined the “unwavering commitment” of drivers, drivers, supervisors, maintenance teams and all STL employees, stating that “this formidable team truly cares about the well-being and safety of customers. they carry every day”.
“Finally, I would like to say that I am grateful to our customers who show concern and compassion towards our employees, including our drivers. They really need it right now,” said Ms. Roy.
Two of the injured leave the hospital
Among the six children injured in the tragedy, two were able to be discharged from the CHU Sainte-Justine, and the two others who are cared for in this hospital center “present a state of health whose evolution is rather favorable”, according to A declaration.
“We continue to offer psychosocial support to their family,” it added.
In addition, the police investigation ended Wednesday evening at the scene of the tragedy and the bus was removed from the scene, confirmed spokeswoman Erika Landry.
However, a command post was set up Thursday morning to offer support to the Laval population.
“These are social emergency responders and our prevention squad who are present for citizens who feel the need,” said Ms. Landry.
We do not yet know the motivations that could have prompted the man to make such a gesture, said SPL spokesperson Erika Landry in an interview with The Canadian Press Thursday morning.
No mental health history
Pierre Ny St-Amand, 51, was arrested at the scene on Wednesday and faces two counts of premeditated murder as well as seven other counts including attempted murder and aggravated assault .
He appeared Wednesday afternoon and is due back in court on February 17.
The minister responsible for social services, Lionel Carmant, revealed Thursday morning that he had no official mental health history and was not on a waiting list for help.
Verifications were made with the Laval Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS).
“We don’t have ‘evidence’ that there is mental illness. The event that happened yesterday was unpredictable,” said the minister in a press scrum at the National Assembly.
“Whether it was someone who was unhappy, who was in distress, something happened to explain that. »
Tributes to victims
Citizens of the Sainte-Rose district had already gathered on the forecourt of the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima church on Wednesday evening, located a little further, to light candles and place flowers and stuffed animals there. , then try to find some comfort in the face of this tragedy.
The flag of the Hôtel de Ville de Laval was at half-mast, in tribute to the little victims, and the flag of Quebec on the central tower of the National Assembly was at half-mast all day Thursday, in memory of the young victims as well. .
For a second day, the National Assembly observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the little victims.