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Sunday was a lovely, warm and above all peaceful day around Parliament Hill, in stark contrast to the chilly day exactly three years earlier when a terrorist killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
As anniversaries go, this one couldn’t have been quieter. No announcements, no speeches, no military displays.
Crowds waited for tours of the Centre Block, posing for photos on the sunny lawn near the door where Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot his way into the building. Some walked dogs; two young men kicked a soccer ball. (The tours skip over any mention of the shootings unless a visitor brings it up.)
The flag on the Peace Tower has been at half-staff for days, but that, as a Senate website made clear, was to honour the late Gord Downie.
Just another quiet day on the Hill, a Mountie observed.
There were two sentries by the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where Cirillo was shot by Zehaf-Bibeau.
Three years have passed since the fatal shooting of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Nearby there were hints that some people indeed remembered the date. A plaque honouring Cirillo, just east of the cenotaph, had fresh flowers Sunday, as did the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
John and Joanne Hansen were weekend tourists from Port Perry, Ont., and they heard on the Sunday morning news broadcast that this was the anniversary of the day that shocked Ottawa and brought the city to a halt.
Nathan Cirillo
Thinking back to that day three years ago Joanne remembers “everything. I was at home watching the news.”
“I was in my truck and I heard,” John said. “I remember clear as a bell, because you don’t think it’s going to happen here. We don’t think that, but it does. We’re not immune.”
Both were pleased to see that the War Memorial is quietly dignified, commanding simple respect.
“This is the most phenomenal site. Just being here makes me proud to be Canadian,” John said of the war memorial. “I’m just so impressed.”
“I realize there aren’t any ceremonies going on, but isn’t that good in a way?” wondered Alison Marshall, visiting from Toronto.
“You want something to mark what the corporal did, and to show that he died serving his country. And they have the plaque. But isn’t it better to have a city where there aren’t big military displays everywhere, and people can just enjoy living in a place that is mostly pretty peaceful? That seems like the whole point.”
There was a brief flurry of political statements about the anniversary.
Three years have passed since the fatal shooting of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Jean Rioux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, told Parliament on Friday that it was three years that day since Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed in a terrorist attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
He added: “Forty-eight hours later, another senseless attack took a second brave Canadian from our country. Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot while standing guard in front of National War Memorial of Canada.”
A statement Sunday from the Prime Minister’s Office said:
“On this solemn anniversary, I join Canadians across the country to remember and pay tribute to Corporal Cirillo and to Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed two days earlier that year in a terrorist attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. We offer our deepest sympathies to their families and friends, and to all those affected by these attacks.
“Today, we also honour the bravery of the first responders — the Senate Protective Service and the House of Commons Security Services, the RCMP, former House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, and medical personnel — who kept us safe on that tragic day.
“These attacks were intended to instil fear and divide Canadians. Instead, they only served to unite us. We emerged stronger than before, showing the world that our most cherished values — freedom, democracy, diversity, and inclusion — will always triumph over fear and hatred.
“As we mourn today the loss of these two members of the Canadian Armed Forces, I invite all Canadians to thank our courageous men and women in uniform — both here at home and abroad — who put their lives in harm’s way every day to defend our country and keep us safe.”
tspears@postmedia.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1
查看原文...
As anniversaries go, this one couldn’t have been quieter. No announcements, no speeches, no military displays.
Crowds waited for tours of the Centre Block, posing for photos on the sunny lawn near the door where Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot his way into the building. Some walked dogs; two young men kicked a soccer ball. (The tours skip over any mention of the shootings unless a visitor brings it up.)
The flag on the Peace Tower has been at half-staff for days, but that, as a Senate website made clear, was to honour the late Gord Downie.
Just another quiet day on the Hill, a Mountie observed.
There were two sentries by the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where Cirillo was shot by Zehaf-Bibeau.
Three years have passed since the fatal shooting of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Nearby there were hints that some people indeed remembered the date. A plaque honouring Cirillo, just east of the cenotaph, had fresh flowers Sunday, as did the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
John and Joanne Hansen were weekend tourists from Port Perry, Ont., and they heard on the Sunday morning news broadcast that this was the anniversary of the day that shocked Ottawa and brought the city to a halt.
Nathan Cirillo
Thinking back to that day three years ago Joanne remembers “everything. I was at home watching the news.”
“I was in my truck and I heard,” John said. “I remember clear as a bell, because you don’t think it’s going to happen here. We don’t think that, but it does. We’re not immune.”
Both were pleased to see that the War Memorial is quietly dignified, commanding simple respect.
“This is the most phenomenal site. Just being here makes me proud to be Canadian,” John said of the war memorial. “I’m just so impressed.”
“I realize there aren’t any ceremonies going on, but isn’t that good in a way?” wondered Alison Marshall, visiting from Toronto.
“You want something to mark what the corporal did, and to show that he died serving his country. And they have the plaque. But isn’t it better to have a city where there aren’t big military displays everywhere, and people can just enjoy living in a place that is mostly pretty peaceful? That seems like the whole point.”
There was a brief flurry of political statements about the anniversary.
Three years have passed since the fatal shooting of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Jean Rioux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, told Parliament on Friday that it was three years that day since Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed in a terrorist attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
He added: “Forty-eight hours later, another senseless attack took a second brave Canadian from our country. Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot while standing guard in front of National War Memorial of Canada.”
A statement Sunday from the Prime Minister’s Office said:
“On this solemn anniversary, I join Canadians across the country to remember and pay tribute to Corporal Cirillo and to Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed two days earlier that year in a terrorist attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. We offer our deepest sympathies to their families and friends, and to all those affected by these attacks.
“Today, we also honour the bravery of the first responders — the Senate Protective Service and the House of Commons Security Services, the RCMP, former House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, and medical personnel — who kept us safe on that tragic day.
“These attacks were intended to instil fear and divide Canadians. Instead, they only served to unite us. We emerged stronger than before, showing the world that our most cherished values — freedom, democracy, diversity, and inclusion — will always triumph over fear and hatred.
“As we mourn today the loss of these two members of the Canadian Armed Forces, I invite all Canadians to thank our courageous men and women in uniform — both here at home and abroad — who put their lives in harm’s way every day to defend our country and keep us safe.”
tspears@postmedia.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1
查看原文...
