The RCMP honoured 12 RCMP officers and six former Parliament Hill security personnel at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa recently for their collective response to the shooting on Oct. 22, 2014, awarding them the Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery.
“The actions of these men and women prevented further harm from occurring to others,” said Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud. “It is a sobering reminder of the unexpected danger our members can face in law enforcement. I am proud to serve alongside these members of the Parliamentary Protective Service.”
Last year, attacker Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot Cpt. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial and was later shot dead in the Centre Block of Parliament. One guard at the Peace Tower entrance to the Parliament Buildings was injured. The private Nov.23rd ceremony, hosted by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, took place at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, following various security changes on the Hill since the the shooting, including the amalgamation of security forces.
Commons guard Const. Charles Thom, a 23-year veteran who was shot in the foot, fired on Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, hitting him in the chest as he ran into the Rotunda. Thom is one of 20 others who put their lives on the line and were finally honoured for their bravery.
Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, appointed as ambassador to Ireland for his role in the gunfight, received a standing ovation in the House of Commons.
At the war memorial, ceremonial guards remain unarmed, but now two armed Ottawa police officers guard the soldiers, paid for by the Department of National Defence.
Before the attack, the RCMP and House of Commons and Senate security forces divided responsibility for protecting parliamentarians, staff and visitors. The newly formed, amalgamated Parliamentary Protective Service took over security in June.
This unified service can now more effectively access intelligence partners, such as CSIS, about potential threats. RCMP Chief Supt. Michael Duheme directs it and reports to the RCMP’s national division, and is accountable to the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate.
Bill Turner, a retired CSIS agent and RCMP officer, commented on the security changes on the Hill: “There must be a balance between security measures and an ease of access for visitors to Parliament Hill as it’s a national monument, but also a place of work. We do not want to instill fear into the general public and need to find the right balance.”
According to the Canadian Heroes Foundation, it is important to honour those who act heroically during tragic events.
“If we don’t take care of our veterans, then we have failed as a nation,” said Chris Ecklund, the founder of Canadian Heroes Foundation, a registered “Not for Profit” organization staffed by volunteers. The foundation, based in Cirillo’s hometown of Hamilton, supports frontline responders by raising public awareness through campaigns such as roadside memorials for slain soldiers, a website with articles and videos featuring individual heroes, as well as Twitter and Facebook pages.
Dawn Marincak-Saikaley works near Parliament and was under lockdown the day of the shooting. She assumed the Hill had better security, and says she never thought something of this nature could happen at the hub of the Canadian government.
“Every time we have a tragedy like this, it’s when they realize their security wasn’t as good as it should have been and they learn from it. But it’s too bad we have to learn the hard way,” said Saikaley, who was a volunteer firefighter until this past June. “It’s like the (1998) ice storm. (Firefighters) thought we had a whole evacuation plan put into place until we had an issue and realized we need to improve our plan.”
Former prime minister Stephen Harper mentioned the 2014 shooting of Cirillo when he presented controversial anti-terror legislation Bill C-51 in January 2015. The bill was intended to extend Canada’s anti-terror laws to deal with the threat posed by supporters of anti-western groups.
Zehaf-Bibeau, a Muslim extremist, recordeda video message explaining his actions were in retaliation to the Canadian military’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson released the video to the public this past March.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which in opposition, expressed support for the bill, which gives more power to police services and CSIS to monitor potential terrorists and prevent future attacks.