Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday the death toll from an "evil" weekend shooting rampage in Nova Scotia had risen to at least 18.

"Our country stands united in our effort to defeat a pandemic, to save lives and to help each other make it to a better day," he told a news conference. "But yesterday we were jolted from that common cause by the senseless violence and tragedy in Nova Scotia, (where) a gunman claimed the lives of at least 18 people."

"No one man's action can build a wall between us and a better day -- no matter how evil, how thoughtless, or how destructive," Trudeau added.