Ottawa vigil for Quebec City mosque shooting anniversary taking place Sunday
A vigil to mark the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City will be held in Ottawa Sunday at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street.
On Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman entered the Quebec City Islamic cultural centre just after evening prayers and opened fire. He murdered six men and injured five others.
The victims' names are Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti, 44; Azzeddine Soufiane, 57; and Ibrahima Barry, 39.
The gunman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 40 years. His sentence was reduced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years after a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
Last year, a scheduled vigil to mark the anniversary in Ottawa was cancelled because of the arrival of the 'Freedom Convoy' protest. The group Canadians United Against Hate had planned to hold an interfaith candlelight vigil at the human rights monument on Elgin Street but said it was moved online as thousands of anti-public health mandate and anti-government protesters descended on the city.
"Muslims and non-Muslim allies in the Ottawa region are thankful that they will have the freedom to come together to mark this occasion this coming Sunday and remember the six men who where murdered by a white supremacist while worshipping in the Quebec City mosque in 2017," said Fareed Khan, founder of Canadians United Against Hate in a recent news release.
In Quebec City, the date will be marked for the first time in the mosque's prayer room where the murders took place. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other federal and Quebec governent figures are scheduled to attend. Premier Francois Legault has said he will be unable to attend because of familial obligations.
Jan. 29 now also marks the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia. Last week, Trudeau named Ottawa-based human rights advocate and journalist Amira Elghawaby as Canada's first special representative on combating Islamophobia.
Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in a statement on social media that he is committing his support to the national effort to eradicate Islamophobia, hate and racism from Canada.
Correction
A previous version of this article said Quebec Premier Francois Legault was expected to attend the vigil in Quebec City Sunday, but he has in fact said he would not be available.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.