MP Kent calls Ottawa tragedy ‘terrifying’; Vaughan lowers flags to half-mast

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 23, 2014
Marney Beck

When Thornhill MP Peter Kent first heard the noise of a gunshot yesterday inside the Parliament buildings, “I thought it was construction”.

“But then when I heard a flurry of shots just outside our caucus room, I knew it wasn’t ... they were terrifying moments in Ottawa and a big wakeup call to the risks and threats we face in Canada due to the phenomenon known as ISIL,” said the MP by phone this morning.

Just as many other MPs, he was in lockdown yesterday on Parliament Hill until after 7 p.m., after the morning shooting spree by a gunman left an honour guard at the war memorial dead and resulted in the shooter’s own death, a person Prime Minister Harper has called “a terrorist”.

Kent called Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers “a true hero” in the rampage.

“He heard the first shots, retrieved his weapon, and exchanged gunfire with the gunman,” related Kent. “It could have been so much worse.”

Kent said although the war memorial is cordoned off by police as a crime scene, he walked by the site on his way to work this morning to pay his respects “and there were many other groups of MPs doing the same”.

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, who has spend many years of his career as an Ottawa MP, offered condolences to family and friends of Canadian Forces Cpl. Nathan Frank Cirillo, who was killed in front of the war memorial.

“I join with all Canadians across the country in tribute of this young man who was taken too soon in service to our country,” said Bevilacqua. “The City of Vaughan is lowering flags to half-mast in honour of Cpl. Cirillo and his dedication to Canada, and protecting our way of life. His sacrifice is a reminder to all of us of what we owe to the men and women who serve this country on a daily basis to protect our rights and freedoms.”

Richmond Hill MP Costas Menegakis called the day “horrifying” and explained how government caucus members barricaded the doors after they realized there was gunfire outside in the hall.

“We didn’t know how many shooters there were,” said Menegakis. “My colleagues stayed calm, but we locked the doors and thought it would be prudent to barricade them so it wouldn’t be an easy walk-in for the shooters.”

He calls the entire experience a “somber moment for the nation, which touches all Canadians,” saying he’s especially sad about the death of Cpl. Cirillo.

“It was so senseless — he couldn’t defend himself and it happened at the symbol of our freedoms,” he said of the war memorial attack.