Harper offers condolences

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This article was published 23/07/2011 (5379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada stands with Norway after at least 87 people were killed in an explosion in Oslo and in a shooting at a youth camp.

Harper said he was “shocked and intensely saddened,” and that Canada condemns the violence.

The prime minister said Canadians’ thoughts and prayers are with the victims, witnesses and all those affected.

Police in Norway say a man arrested after the youth camp shooting is likely also linked to the Oslo bombing.

There were no details about the man, who was dressed in a police uniform when he opened fire.

The attacks occurred just hours before the last commander of Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan, Brigadier-General Dean Milner, and some 117 soldiers returned home to Ottawa.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the bombings and shootings in Norway “demonstrate that the world is still a very volatile place” in which military and security forces play a vital role.

“We have to remain vigilant in Canada,” MacKay told reporters after welcoming the soldiers home.

“In so doing, we also express our solidarity and support for those who have lost loved ones in Norway and we commit ourselves as a country to work with them and our allies in doing all we can to protect citizens around the globe.”

President Barack Obama said Friday that a lethal bomb blast in Norway’s capital of Oslo is a reminder that the world has a stake in stopping acts of terrorism.

The president also extended his condolences to Norway’s people.

He said “our hearts” go out to the Norwegian people. He also offered U.S. assistance with the investigation.

— from the news services