On Tuesday, federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair made sure to tread lightly in La Loche.
His visit was intentionally chosen to coincide with the funerals for two teen brothers who were killed in a mass shooting. Mulcair said the suggestion came from former La Loche mayor and current NDP MP Georgina Jolibois, who he’s been in close contact with since the Jan. 22 shooting.
“My friend Georgina Jolibois said it would be an appropriate day to come and be in the community and show support and understanding and share our condolences in the wake of this horrible tragedy that’s affected everyone in the community,” he said.
When speaking to MBC on Tuesday morning, Mulcair was not yet sure if he was going to attend the ceremonies for Dayne and Drayden Fontaine. The boys were killed in a La Loche home before the shooted opened fire in the local high school.
Mulcair said “as things now stand I’m going to let Georgina be my guide on that.”
He said his focus for Tuesday was to be there for the people of La Loche.
“My real focus here is to make sure the people understand that they’re not alone, that they have a lot of people in the rest of Canada who share in their pain, that we want to make sure the services are there for the future,” he said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in La Loche and called for all levels of government and indigenous leaders to work together.
Going a step further, Mulcair said he is looking for an inter-party approach to long-term solutions for the underserved north in the wake of this tragedy.
“There are issues that require attention, whether they be education, health care, social services. We know, tragically that in the north suicide rates are many times higher than in the rest of Canada. That’s an issue calling out for a solution. And the solution has to come with more resources and the resources will come when governments realize that that need is a responsibility of all levels.”
Even after an election that saw support for the federal NDP drop drastically, Mulcair says his party still has a strong presence in the north. The federal NDP has MPs in northern Manitoba, northern British Columbia, northern Ontario, and northern Quebec.
“We understand the pressing issues facing those communities and we’re going to be there making sure that the government follows through on the many promises they’ve made to the people of the north,” he said.
Mulcair will spend the whole day in La Loche, and said his presence is meant to show support, both for Jolibois and for the entire community.