Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, issued the following statement to the University of Waterloo community.
Today Canadians watched with grave concern as acts of violence transpired in our nation’s capital. The fact that these acts of violence were apparently aimed at fundamental institutions of our democracy, including the Parliament of Canada, makes them all the more shocking.
The University of Waterloo maintains an extensive network of co-operative education students, co-op employers, partners and stakeholders in the National Capital Region, and we remain in solidarity with them today, as ever. In particular, all efforts are being made to contact each of our more than 300 co-op students working in the National Capital Region. We believe all are safe at this time.
I remind our co-op students working in Ottawa this term that our Counselling Services team is available if you need to talk as a result of today’s events, and can be contacted through your co-op advisors.
On behalf of our University of Waterloo community of students, faculty, staff and alumni the world over, I extend our thoughts and condolences to the family of the Canadian soldier whose life was taken today, as he stood on guard at the National War Memorial.
Equally, we send our thoughts of compassion and solidarity to all those affected by today’s violence, including among them Ottawa’s first responders, as well as to all citizens and residents.