Canadians asked to wear red for N.S. shooting victims to 'unite the country'
Red chosen as a 'symbol of Canada' to represent all victims of massacre, organizer says
Canadians from coast to coast are being asked to pause Friday in a day of mourning to honour the victims killed in Nova Scotia's mass shooting.
The National Police Federation (NPF), in partnership with the RCMP, is asking citizens to stop what they're doing on Friday at 2 p.m. AT, and observe a moment of silence while wearing red.
"How do we as Canadians — because all of Canada is hurting here — get together and do something?" Brian Sauvé, NPF's president, said Thursday.
"This is kind of what we landed on as an idea to move forward and try and unite the country."
Last Saturday and Sunday, a gunman's 12-hour rampage through rural Nova Scotia ended the lives of at least 22 victims, making it one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings.
Friday's plan
People are asked to step outside and line up on the sidewalk or edge of a road — if possible — while practising physical distancing, and observe a moment of silence for the tragic events.
Those who participate can also share photos and videos of themselves in red using the hashtag #WearRedFriday.
The original Wear Red campaign began in 2007 to support military troops in Afghanistan, Sauvé noted.
Similar campaigns have been used by spouses of the RCMP to honour fallen Mounties across Canada in recent years, including the 2014 Moncton shooting and 2017 death of Const. Frank Deschenes on a New Brunswick highway.
Sauvé said they chose red as a "symbol of Canada" that would represent all victims of the massacre.
No regimental funeral for fallen RCMP officer
One of those victims was RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson.
Unfortunately, Sauvé said Stevenson will not be honoured with a regimental funeral due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions around travel and public gatherings.
Sauvé said he cannot remember a time in recent memory when there has not been a regimental funeral for an RCMP member who died in the line of duty.
There have been 244 service-related deaths in 147 years of RCMP history, he said.
Usually, Sauvé said they are large events featuring visiting police officers from all over the country. There's a parade, bagpipers, bands and a presentation of a flag to the officer's widow, widower or family member.
The events themselves are an emotional and important way to gather people the officer would have known all across the country, Sauvé said.
Many people Stevenson trained with are posted across Canada, and such a funeral would allow them to lean on one another in their grief.
Sauvé said it's important to recognize Stevenson's service and sacrifice, and hopes there will be a memorial at some future date.
Respecting all victims
However, he said her tragic death is not isolated.
"We need to respect the fact that no one can get together amidst COVID, so how do we go about respecting all victims and honouring them as Canadians?"
During a global pandemic, grieving is especially hard as people are forced to stay apart.
Depending on how this week goes, Sauvé said they may try and continue the event in future weeks if it has a large impact.
Virtual vigil
Another opportunity to unite is the virtual vigil planned for Friday evening.
Many tributes to the victims have been collected on a Facebook page called Colchester- Supporting our Communities, which will be live streaming a vigil called Nova Scotia Remembers Friday at 7 p.m. AT. It will also be streamed on YouTube.
CBC News will have a special broadcast of the vigil that will air in all the Atlantic provinces on CBC Radio, CBC TV and online. It will also be carried on CBC News Network.
If you are seeking mental health support during this time, here are resources available to Nova Scotians.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from David Burke