Shortly after news of the shooting of a Canadian soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa shocked Canadians, inside the Parliament Building attending a caucus meeting, Wild Rose MP Blake Richards heard the sounds of gunfire just before 10 a.m., Wednesday (Oct. 22).
“We knew they were nearby,” Richards said of the gunshots.
Now described by authorities and government officials as a terrorist attack, the Wednesday incident in Canada’s capital city resulted in the death of Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo – a loss that does not go unnoticed by Richards – and the death of the man believed to have shot him.
“We’ve lost two of our finest in Canada in the last two weeks,” Richards said, referring to Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was struck by a vehicle in Montreal and killed during an apparent targeted attack. “My condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to their families.”
The Ottawa shooting suspect – reported to have been fatally shot by Parliament Hill Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers – was identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a Canadian born in 1982 who had criminal records in various provinces. Following the shooting of Cirillo, who was guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial, the suspect stormed the Parliament Building, where there was a ‘chaotic scene’ in the building’s Centre Block. Zehaf-Bibeau was shot and killed in a shootout.
Richards said one of the most difficult aspects he had to deal with during the frightening ordeal was being separated from his caucus for the majority of the day.
“As you can imagine, with the size of Parliament, it took some time to ensure everything was safe,” said Richards, who commended the work of authorities. “Security forces, RCMP, city police … they all did a great job.”
Richards said that although security acted quickly when gunfire erupted, it took until well into the evening for authorities to make sure it was safe for MPs and Parliamentary staff to exit where they were being kept secure, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was in the building at the time.
Richards described the Ottawa shooting as a cowardly act by those whose ‘”goal is to enact fear in Canadians.
“My message to those who would commit such heinous and despicable acts,” said Richards in a press release, “is that all you have done is bring us together even stronger as a nation.”
Richards affirmed that the Ottawa shooting has strengthened his resolve that Canada must continue to fight terrorism and terrorists.
On Thursday (Oct. 23), Richards said life on Parliament Hill has returned to as normal as it could the day after such a fearful incident, and that following a speech by Harper and opposition parties, it was clear that all were united in a common goal to move forward and work to prevent similar events from happening.
Asked whether security procedures on Parliament Hill should be reviewed following the attack, Richards said the matter would be looked at, but that it was important that if any changes were to be made that they did not infringe on the public’s freedom to access their government.
“I want to thank everyone back home who had me in their thoughts and prayers,” said the Wild Rose MP.
Richards was not certain when he would return to Alberta, as his schedule would have to be reviewed, but said he was looking forward to returning home to see his family.
