OTTAWA – Conservative leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch expressed her dismay Sunday over the fatal shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left at least five dead, saying that she’s devastated people would act on the religious hatred she’s spent the past year-and-a-half inciting.

“It’s just so tragic that anyone, be it a terrified white man, or a radicalized Islamist, would take my constant efforts to vilify Muslims as barbaric terrorists conspiring to infiltrate our country and murder us all,” lamented the Simcoe-Grey MP. “And use it to fuel their own violent, irrational hatred that’s now claimed the lives of several peaceful, completely innocent Canadians.”

The self-appointed champion of ‘Canadian Values’ added that, ‘it’s a very sad day for our democracy when politicians can’t exploit the fear and ignorance of others for personal gain without doing irreparable damage to our social fabric.’

Leitch campaign manager Nick Kouvalis echoed the Tory candidate’s sentiments, and warned Canadians not to be misled by the false information about Islam that he purposely spreads.

Leitch refused to comment on how Sunday’s tragic events would affect her leadership campaign going forward, noting that, ‘Now is not the time for being political. Now is the time for pretending to mourn.’