Today, our hearts are broken alongside the Filipino Canadian community as we mourn the devastating loss of life at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver. What was meant to be a joyful celebration of heritage, resilience, and unity has instead turned into a moment of profound sorrow.
We grieve for the nine beautiful lives lost, for the more than twenty injured, and for every family, friend, and loved one now carrying unimaginable pain. We honour their memory, and we hold their spirits close.
This senseless act of violence has wounded not only a community but all of us who believe in the values of peace, belonging, and multicultural celebration that Canada cherishes so deeply.
To every member of the Filipino Canadian community — please know that you are not alone. Your sorrow is our sorrow. Your grief is our grief. Across this country, countless hearts beat in solidarity with yours today.
We recognize the rich contributions the Filipino community has made to Canada — through your hard work, compassion, culture, and spirit of bayanihan (community solidarity). It is that same spirit that will guide us through this mourning together.
To our Filipino-Canadian friends:
We stand with you. We grieve with you. We will remember with you.
In honour of all who were lost, injured, and impacted — may we continue to build a Canada where every community feels safe, celebrated, and embraced. In picture one of the many Filipino-Canadian eateries and the local mural from my visit to Halifax!
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