In the wake of yesterday’s tragic school shooting in Tumbler Ranch, B.C., Prime Minister Mark Carney has suspended his planned visit to Halifax, where, as Canadian Press reports, he “was scheduled (to) announce the long-awaited defence industrial strategy, before flying to Munich, where he was to spend the rest of the week at the Munich Security Conference,” with his travel plans now on hold “for the time being,” according to his office.

In a statement posted to X yesterday evening, Carney said he was “devastated” by the attack, which left 10 people dead, including the shooter, according to local authorities.

“My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence,” the prime minister added.

“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens. Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country — our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.”

He also noted that he had “connected” with B.C. Premier David Eby, as well as Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree “who is coordinating the federal response.”

In a separate statement, Anandasangaree said he was “heartbroken” by the shooting, and confirmed that he had been in touch with the prime minister and his provincial counterpart, as well as local officials, including Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka, RCMP North District Commander Superintendent Ken Floyd and Conservative MP Bob Zimmer, whose riding includes the tiny community.

For his part, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted that he was “devastated to hear of the many innocent people murdered and injured in a senseless act of violence at a local high school in Tumbler Ridge,” with other MPs from all parties expressing similar horror on social media as news of the tragedy spread — reaction that is likely to continue today.

Although Carney’s planned announcement in Halifax has been called off, the government is still expected to unveil its defence strategy today, which is expected to provide more details on a plan that is “meant to serve as a policy blueprint to maximize the domestic economic benefits of the massive planned increase in defence spending over the coming years,” according to the Toronto Star.

As of Wednesday morning, there was no word on when — or how — the strategy will be released.

The shooting is also likely to come up when MPs gather in the House of Commons this afternoon, where, according to the projected agenda, Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson’s pitch to formally set up Build Canada Homes as a Crown corporation — including, as CBC News notes, giving it “land acquisition authority as well as the ability to partner with private developers” — will make its second-reading debut this afternoon.

Also on the radar: JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS members are once again scheduled to circle back to clause-by-clause review of the government’s proposal to expand the current anti-hate crime protocols to include new prohibitions on the public display of the swastika and other “hate symbols,” which was put on hold to allow the committee to conduct a lightning-round study of the proposed new bail and sentencing rules and is now back on the agenda, as iPolitics reported yesterday. (4:30 p.m.)

Speaking with reporters yesterday morning, Justice Minister Sean Fraser “said the Liberals were open to changes that would refine the language around the contentious Bloc Québécois amendment removing religious exemptions to the hate speech crime, but accused the Conservatives of choosing to instead ‘obstruct’ the work of the committee,” iPolitics notes.

The committee was initially scheduled to resume consideration of the bill on Monday, but the Conservatives “signalled they were prepared to restart their filibuster of the bill,” iPolitics notes.

“The meeting was ultimately cancelled.”

ON AND AROUND THE HILL

Unifor national president Lana Payne, United Steelworkers president Marty Warren and Canadian Union of Public Employees Mark Hancock hit the parliamentary media circuit to promote the newly-formed Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance, which, as per the advisory, is launching a new campaign to “protect Canadian jobs from outsourcing,” as well as “protect Canadians’ privacy and sovereignty.” (9:30 a.m.)

Also this morning:

• Liberal MPs Giovanna Mingarelli and Linda Lapointe hit the House of Commons Foyer alongside Green Party leader Elizabeth May, interim New Democrat leader Don Davies, Conservative MP Michael Barrett and Bloc Québécois MP Andréanne Larouche to promote National Kindness Week, which kicks off on Feb. 15 and “encourages Canadians from coast to coast to coast to celebrate acts of kindness, volunteerism and charitable giving.” (8 a.m.)
• Macdonald-Laurier Institute defence policy director Christopher Coates and former MP Kevin Vuong join Jamestown Foundation president Peter Mattis to “reveal the findings” of what the advisory describes as the foundation’s “extensive research into over 2,000 entities who can be conclusively linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s united front groups in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.” (10 a.m.)

OUTSIDE THE PRECINCT

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty joins National Family and Survivors Circle chair Hilda Anderson-Pyrz and New Brunswick women’s equality minister Lyne Chantal Boudreau for the opening of the fourth annual National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People, which gets underway in Ottawa today. (10:30 a.m.)

IN THE CHAMBER

Later this afternoon, Liberal MP Bardish Chagger will kick off the first round of debate on a Senate-initiated bill to establish a “national framework on sports betting advertising,” which was adopted by the Upper House last fall but requires the approval of the Commons to make it to the legislative finish line.

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