SUBSCRIBE! Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story!

Carney cancels trip to Europe following B.C. school shooting

Feb 11, 2026 | 10:26 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has cancelled his plans to travel to Halifax and Munich, Germany, following a deadly school shooting in British Columbia.

Carney was to spend Wednesday afternoon in Halifax to announce the defence industrial strategy, before flying on to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.

As news of the tragedy unfolded Tuesday evening, Carney’s staffers said he was suspending his travel plans for the time being. His office now says the entire trip has been called off.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Carney is remaining in the National Capital Region at this time.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree will join B.C. Premier David Eby in Tumbler Ridge later Wednesday, the statement said.

They will be accompanied by Housing Minister Gregor Robertson and provincial Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger.

The statement said National Defence Minister David McGuinty, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon will travel to Germany for the Munich Security Conference on the prime minister’s behalf.

Carney’s announcement on Canada’s national defence industrial strategy, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed, the statement said.

The shooting left 10 people dead, including the suspect, in the tiny community of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern British Columbia on Tuesday.

RCMP said about 25 people were hurt at the school, including two with life-threatening injuries.

The Munich Security Conference is an annual event bringing together global political and business leaders to discuss major issues in security policy and defence. It is taking place this year against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to disrupt the global order.

Carney was scheduled to deliver a speech at the opening of the conference on Friday, officials briefing reporters ahead of the trip said Tuesday.

They also said Carney was supposed to hold meetings with multiple leaders and heads of state while abroad — including the leaders of Greenland, Denmark, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Finland, Norway and the European Union — and with a delegation of U.S. senators.

His schedule also included meetings with business leaders, part of his efforts to attract investment to Canada’s critical minerals, energy, and technology sectors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2026.

— With files from Dylan Robertson, Sarah Ritchie and Anja Karadeglija

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press