One month after Vancouver vehicle attack, MPs pay silent tribute to Lapu Lapu victims
Members of Parliament held a moment of silence on the one-month anniversary of the deadly attack on the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, as members of the Filipino community and others continue to grapple with its impact.
Newly elected Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia said all parties in the House of Commons agreed to mark the occasion, with parliamentarians bowing their heads in observance of what he called a 'tragic event.'
Advocacy group Filipino BC said in a statement marking the anniversary that witnesses, victims and their families are still navigating the 'emotional aftermath' of the attack that killed 11 people and injured dozens more.
The statement said tragedies such as floods and fires left tangible results, but the attack was a 'social disaster' with invisible impacts on communities and their sense of safety and with no 'clear perimeter.'
'Healing does not follow a straight line. It takes time, care, and community,' the statement said. 'And for many, this past month has been a heavy one.'
It said the 'full ripple effect' of the attack is yet to be seen, as people deal with lasting trauma that can manifest itself in different ways 'quietly beneath surface.'
'Some may not even realize just how much they've been affected until much later,' the organization said.
Filipino BC said it was 'heartbreaking' that there had been hesitation from some people to seek help in the belief that others are more in need, with witnesses more concerned about people injured, and injured people more concerned with the families of those who died.
'This unspoken hierarchy of grief is dangerous, and it's not how healing works.'
Sammie Jo Rumbaua, a director with the Filipino non-profit Mabuhay House, said the society has been working with the community and other organizations as they grieve, amid a 'sense of real urgency' to gather communally.
Rumbaua said prayers on June 5 will mark 40 days since the attack, a significant date in the Filipino Catholic tradition, but the tragedy 'still feels very fresh.'
'Survivors of violence and victims, they're not ready to talk,' she said Monday. 'A lot of them haven't been able to talk about the situation, (or) go back to the site.'
She said many people from all communities affected by the attack are 'really still reflecting on what has happened.'
Rumbaua said there are also looming questions about the security of future community events in Vancouver, and how the city dealt with memorials to the victims.
She said upcoming events to mark Filipino heritage and independence – such as the Pinoy Festival in Burnaby on June 14 – have shifted from celebratory themes to reflecting on the attack's lasting effects.
She said the push by Mabuhay House to build a Filipino cultural centre remains a long-standing goal, and the attention the tragedy has brought has 'amplified' a number of other issues facing the diaspora, including live-in caregivers and temporary foreign workers.
'It's great that our stores are finally being heard in the mainstream to see the need for what our community has been doing for Canada,' she said.
There have been several fundraisers for victims, and United Way BC says it has raised about $1.3 million.
Multiple fundraisers were held over the weekend, including in New Westminster, B.C., where 'Soup Nazi' actor Larry Thomas, best known for his role as a strict soup seller on the sitcom 'Seinfeld,' served soup as part of a fundraiser at the Greens And Beans Deli on Sunday.
A three-kilometre run was held earlier that day at the Toronto Zoo to raise money for United Way's Kapwa Strong Fund, which offers grants to not-for-profit organizations supporting those affected by the attack.
And a tribute concert took place on Saturday in Surrey, B.C., hosted by the local Philippine Independence Day Society, which issued a statement saying nine Surrey families were impacted by the tragedy.
The attack on the Lapu Lapu Day festival took place on April 26 when an SUV rammed through a crowd, causing what Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai called the 'darkest day' in the city's history.
Adam Kai-Ji Lo faces eight counts of second-degree murder and further charges are anticipated.
He is due back in court on Friday.
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