Tumbler Ridge wasn’t about gender identity

Scapegoating won’t stop the next tragedy, but better access to mental health care might

Canada had a choice after the Tumbler Ridge school shooting: descend into blame and culture-war outrage, or choose unity, compassion and honest reflection. In that moment, political leaders chose the latter — and they were right to do so.

At the memorial service in Tumbler Ridge, Prime Minister Mark Carney stood alongside leaders from across the political spectrum. Indigenous leaders, church ministers and elected officials spoke about loss, responsibility and community. No one used the moment to inflame division.

This is the kind of leadership the country needed. Canadians have had enough of anger, selfishness and political point-scoring. But unity at a memorial is only the beginning. If it does not lead to prevention, it is only a gesture.

The shooting on Feb. 10 left families shaken. Horror, sadness, fear and anger are natural reactions.

When the debate turns immediately to identity battles or partisan blame, the more important question is lost: were warning signs missed, and could intervention have come sooner?

The instinct to look for someone to blame is human. It is also ineffective. Blame feels decisive. It rarely prevents anything.

In the days that followed, much of the discussion focused on the gender identity of the young person responsible, Jesse Van Rootselaar. Police have confirmed that Van Rootselaar had prior contacts with authorities related to mental-health concerns and had previously been apprehended for assessment under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act.

That history does not excuse the violence. It does raise legitimate questions about whether earlier or sustained intervention could have made a difference.

Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey shows transgender and non-binary respondents report significantly higher rates of violent victimization than the general population. National crime data do not identify transgender identity as a driver of violent offending.

Turning tragedy into a gender debate may generate attention. It does not improve public safety. Public safety improves when identifiable risk factors are addressed, not when identities are argued over.

Prevention begins with access to help. Statistics Canada has reported that millions of Canadians experience unmet mental health care needs each year, most commonly because of long wait times, cost or services not being available where they live. Access challenges are consistently more acute in rural and northern communities, where specialist shortages are well documented.

When services are limited and help comes late, families wait months for counselling or psychiatric care. Distress does not freeze in place. It deepens.

This is not conjecture. Research consistently shows that untreated severe mental distress increases the risk of self-harm and, in rare but serious cases, can contribute to violent behaviour. Most people living with mental illness, including those who identify as transgender, are not violent and are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators. Early intervention and consistent care reduce risk.

If fewer parents are to bury their children, access to mental health support must be timely and real.

In Parliament on Feb. 10, Pierre Poilievre said, “No parent should ever bury their own child.” That is true. But saying it is not enough. Prevention requires shorter wait times, expanded youth services and a firm commitment that rural communities will not be left behind. Governments at every level have allowed these well-documented gaps to persist.

That moment of cross-party unity should not end at the memorial in Tumbler Ridge.

If nothing changes, another community will one day gather at another memorial and repeat the same promises.