This Remembrance Day, perhaps more than any other in decades, Canadians should take the view that Nov. 11 is not just a day off work or one where kids have a break from school or a chance to squeeze in some shopping.
This Remembrance Day, as the clock strikes the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, Canadians should donate an hour or so out of their life to not only remember the sacrifice of armed forces veterans on past fields of battle, in peacekeeping missions and, in more recent times, on war footings in Afghanistan and now Iraq.
This year, Canadians should give some thought for the families of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and the fact that the two soldiers were killed here at home, on Canadian soil.
Whether you want to list the attacks on the two Canadian soldiers killed in Quebec and Ottawa as being of the “terrorist” variety, as has our federal government and many others, or the deadly, misguided actions of “radicalized” isolated Islamist extremists who were coerced by external forces, or simply actions by criminals, the fact that soldiers here in Canada were targeted is clear.
Also clear is that the attack in Ottawa, in particular, could have been much, much worse, occurring as it did in our busy Parliament Hill on a regular workday when our government was busy at work.
The attacks at home, then, now place Canada among a group of nations that have suffered similar violence. The attacks in Canada were not on the scale of a subway bombing in Spain, say, or market bombings in Nigeria, or a car bombing in Norway which left hundreds dead, all told. But a list of deadly terrorist activities worldwide is distressingly lengthy and Canada can now be included on it.
Canadians are used to receiving news of soldiers lost on faraway continents in world wars, police actions and peacekeeping actions, but we are not used to the shocking reality of the attack in Quebec on Vincent or in Ottawa on Cirillo.
In some way, Canada has changed after the two attacks. What happens next is anyone’s guess, of course. Were the attacks more or less one-offs? Were they the beginning on a campaign here in Canada?
Will the federal government respond with greater, wider-ranging powers for CSIS and other police forces to address potential terrorist activities? Will Canadians be willing to accept greater controls and watchfulness?
Then there is the discussion of what to do about the damage in Parliament Hill’s Centre Block? It’s hard to believe, but yes, there is bullet damage in the home of our government.
On the one hand, there are those who would repair all damage and return the Centre Block to its previous stately demeanour. There are also those who would leave the bullet scars as a testament to the attack and as a reminder of what occurred.
We would take a middle ground; repair most of the bullet holes, but leave an obvious one as a reminder of the day our nation’s capital was rocked by violence. Going forward, Oct. 22, 2014 is now a date of historical significance for this country.
We say leave one scarred block of granite and place a commemorative plaque of explanation. The day and the shooting is now an incident of infamy; let’s retain a visual reference.
