Quebec mourns Orlando shooting victims

MONTREAL – After a mass shooting in Orlando that killed 50 people and injured dozens of others, Montrealers are mourning the victims and reflecting on what it means for the LGBTQ community.

Premier Phillipe Couillard denounced the Orlando shooting at a press conference Monday morning stating the attack was “violent, blind and unjustifiable.”

Couillard insisted the LGBTQ community was targeted because “it’s a symbol of tolerance and an open society where we want to let people live as they are and this is something that some people hate,” he said. “We will not let that hatred dominate our society.”

Although the shooting didn’t happen in Quebec, Couillard said the tragedy still affects us.

“We are part of this. It’s not because it happened elsewhere in North America that we’re not part of that,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are part of this. It's not because it happened elsewhere in North America that we're not part of that," he said.

Meanwhile, in Montreal, an impromptu vigil was held Sunday night at the AIDS memorial on the corner of Ste-Catherine and Panet streets to show solidarity with the people of Orlando.

Those who attended lit candles in memory of the victims.

At city hall, Montreal showed its solidarity with the victims of the attack by flying the gay pride flag as well as the American flag.

Meanwhile, members of Montreal’s LGBTQ community are reeling after the shooting. With Montreal’s pride festivities around the corner, Vice-President, Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, said the shooting hits close to home.

“I was in that bar no later than last year,” he said. “The place is always packed with people … It’s tragic.”

When asked if Montreal Pride would ramp up security for its annual festivities in August, Boudreault said he hopes they don’t have to.

“I think Montreal is a very welcoming city, a very safe city,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll have to increase security.”

Montreal Pride in collaboration with Collectif Carré Rose has organized a second vigil for Thursday evening.

The vigil will take place at 7 p.m. at Parc de l’Espoir.