Seven children died in a horrible fire in Halifax recently and their father, Ebraheim Barho, remains in a medically-induced coma recovering from extensive burns. It’s a gut-wrenching tragedy to be sure, but there’s an odd footnote to this tragic event.



A vigil was held for the victims and lo and behold, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance.

Perhaps some unofficial protocol in the PMO obliges the PM to attend vigils based on how many and the ages of those who died, but regardless, Mr. Trudeau thought it was prudent to be there.

Did I mention the family who endured this tragedy consisted of Syrian refugees who came to Canada in September 2017?

I wonder if Trudeau would have attended a vigil for a fire that had taken the lives of non-refugees.

In the meantime, CTV reports that the mother, Kawthar Barho, told local politicians and religious leaders that she wants to be reunited with family members living overseas because she has no other relatives in Canada — meaning, she wants them to be admitted into Canada as opposed to going back to Syria.

And apparently Justin has already contacted Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen about greasing the wheels regarding the immigration process.

When asked about the expedited immigration procedure for Mrs. Barho, Trudeau said while he can’t comment on specific cases (and then doing so):

“In heartbreaking cases like this we’re certainly looking at doing what we can to bring this family that has suffered such a devastating loss together.”

Fair enough, but in the department of “heartbreaking” cases, why didn’t Trudeau attend the vigil for 13-year-old Marissa Shen of Burnaby, B.C., allegedly murdered by a Syrian refugee?

When it comes to the tragedy file, Justin Trudeau continues to show he has selective empathy.