Ceremony marks 1 year since attacks on Canadian soldiers

B00Mer

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Ceremony marks 1 year since attacks on Canadian soldiers



Canadians gathered for a sombre anniversary on Parliament Hill on Thursday to remember two soldiers who died on home soil last October in separate attacks that sent shockwaves through the country.

Gov. Gen David Johnston said Canadians continue to mourn the deaths of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.

"It's been one year. We continue to grieve. We continue to heal," Johnston said during a ceremony at Ottawa’s National War Memorial.

Cirillo was shot and killed on Oct. 22, 2014 while standing ceremonial guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. The gunman then stormed Parliament Hill's Centre Block firing dozens of shots before he was shot dead.

The attack came two days after Martin Couture-Rouleau drove his car into two soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., killing Vincent. Police said Couture-Rouleau was a radicalized Quebec man who had been on the RCMP's radar.

"Last October, many people said Canada would never be the same," Johnston said. "But I don’t think Canada changed forever. Canadians are a caring, and a courageous people. This is who we are and that will not change."

Thursday's ceremony drew a large crowd to Parliament Hill, which included the families of Cirillo and Vincent, prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper and Trudeau participated in a wreath-laying ceremony together, along with Johnston, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance.



The ceremony included a 21-gun salute, two minutes of silence and a flypast by four CF-18 fighter jets.

Harper said in a statement that Thursday was a day to pay tribute to all the first responders who risked their safety to stop the brazen attack.

“It was inspiring to see how Canadians came together in the aftermath of these attacks, offering each other support, condemning terrorism, and showing the courage and resolve that make our country great,” he said.

Trudeau said Canadians will continue to help and protect each other, pointing to Canada's veterans and military personnel.

“We will not allow threats to shape us, nor bow to those who mean to undermine our values and way of life," he said in a statement. "Canadians are kind and generous, open-minded, and optimistic."

Attack had 'profound' impact on Canada

Johnston said earlier on Thursday that the attack had a "profound" impact on Canada, "where we have so much freedom."

"What we're recognizing today is that our liberties are very precious ones," Johnston told CTV News Channel ahead of the ceremony. "We should never allow them to be clouded in any way, but to reinforce them whenever we can."

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud said in a statement that the agency continues to work hard to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again.

"We will never forget what happened on October 22, 2014, but we are resilient and will continue to pursue and prevent threats to our safety," Gilles said in a statement.

In the aftermath of the shooting, RCMP worked collaboratively to create the Parliamentary Protective Service which ensures "better information and intelligence sharing" and "more consistent training."

Michaud said officials are working on two studies looking at ways to make Parliament Hill more secure, which could lead to highly visible security measures.

Kevin Vickers, Canada's former Sergeant-at-Arms who was credited for his role in stopping the shooter, said Thursday that his thoughts are with the victims' families and the first responders.

On Wednesday, mourners gathered for a sunset ceremony in Cirillo's hometown of Hamilton, Ont. to remember the 24-year-old reservist.

"It was cowardly, it was evil, and most of all, it was tragic," Cirillo's sister Nicole told the crowd.

Cirillo, a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regiment, left a young son, Marcus, who attended the ceremony with his mother along with other family members.

"May his life and death inspire all of us to work for greater peace in our nation and in our world," regimental chaplain Robert Fead said during the ceremony.
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who shot Cirillo, recorded a video message before the Parliament Hill attack, in which he said his actions were "in retaliation for Afghanistan" and other Canadian military missions.


source:: Ceremony marks year since attacks on Canadian soldiers | CTV News


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Yeah I know everyone missed this important news with AnalFloss's unless Trudeau threads dominating CC

 

Frankiedoodle

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One thing that I heard on a couple of news broadcasts today is how the 4 Mounties that aided in stopping Bibeau from going any further, have not been recognized. One of the Mounties ended up on car washing detail. I have often wondered why no one else got any credit, especially because the lack of security that day was to be hung on Vickers shoulders.
 

B00Mer

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I would like to see ceremonial guards have bullets in their guns.. not be standing their with an empty rifle.

That would have given Cirillo at least a fighting chance against that coward.

I was kind of surprised that Canada under heightened terrorist alert didn't have more police on the Parliment.
 

Cannuck

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Yup, we get it Cannuck, he was your hero.

Stop being so silly. "He was not a coward" does not equal "He was my hero". You need to work on your grasp of the English language.

Seriously? He was a coward and and a-s-s-hole. Only good thing to come out of that day was the little bas-tard is dead.

*******, yup. Coward, nope. If he was a coward, he probably wouldn't be dead. I remember Bill Maher getting into hot water when he said the 9/11 hijackers were not cowards. They weren't either. Saying they weren't cowards does not suggest support.
 

Cannuck

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You derail every thread you post in then rail against derail....and call others trolls....:rolleyes:

I haven't derailed the thread, you have. I know you're angry about your butthurt. This isn't the place though. Do you have something to say about the topic of this thread?
 

B00Mer

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Cannuck's recognition of their bravery for a terrorist who killed a Canadian Soldier... can anything be any more sickening.

The guy was mentally ill, there is no bravery in that.. and anyone who thinks this terrorist was brave in is actions it just as stupid and mentally ill as the terrorist.
 

Mowich

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I would like to see ceremonial guards have bullets in their guns.. not be standing their with an empty rifle.

That would have given Cirillo at least a fighting chance against that coward.

I was kind of surprised that Canada under heightened terrorist alert didn't have more police on the Parliment.

Nathan Cirillo was shot in the back, never saw his attacker. Had the sentries been armed, the best they could have done for Nathan was kill his murderer on the spot.

It's dismissive to call the attacker a coward.

Tactless, Cannuck..........completely and utterly.
 

MHz

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Cannuck's recognition of their bravery for a terrorist who killed a Canadian Soldier... can anything be any more sickening.

The guy was mentally ill, there is no bravery in that.. and anyone who thinks this terrorist was brave in is actions it just as stupid and mentally ill as the terrorist.
So which is it, mentally ill or a terrorist or does your whole case demand that he has to be both?
 

WLDB

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I would like to see ceremonial guards have bullets in their guns.. not be standing their with an empty rifle.

Agreed. I was surprised when I found out there was nothing in them. Kind of defeats the point.

That would have given Cirillo at least a fighting chance against that coward.

He was shot in the back and didnt see anything coming. He didnt stand a chance loaded gun or not. Though if the other guard had an armed gun he may have been able to take down the shooter before he got to the hill.

I was kind of surprised that Canada under heightened terrorist alert didn't have more police on the Parliment.

I was surprised when i first moved to Ottawa in 2010 and noticed that. The lack of security was very obvious. I figured it was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of that. Fortunately it was an idiot and not a group of well trained people who did it.

I was at the ceremony earlier this week. The crowd was huge. Comparable to Remembrance Day Ceremonies on the same spot. It was good.

It's dismissive to call the attacker a coward.

And thats a bad thing?
 

B00Mer

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So which is it, mentally ill or a terrorist or does your whole case demand that he has to be both?

The act of terrorism is not the same as mental illness of the individual.

A psychopath has a mental illness, but it also makes that individual capable of doing the unthinkable to other individuals without really any remorse or feeling, or acts of terrorism.


You should have fixed it in the title and original OP too.

He was shot in the back ...

Yet Cannuck feels that takes Bravery to do to another person, shooting somebody in the back.



I suppose Dylann Roof the Charleston church shooter was brave to, eh Cannuck.
 

damngrumpy

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Mar 16, 2005
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Wow we finally have latched on to something to mourn outside of Remembrance Day.
Now I agree with Remembrance Day we all should. However this stuff 9/11 Pearl Harbor
and an endless list of actual mourning sites for small scale tragedies is not really needed.
If we were to embrace that entirely the list of tragedies would exceed the number of
days in the year to the point of double booking.
I am not being nasty here its just that we have a society that wants to mourn everything and
spend our days beating the bushes to look for hero's. Do we not have lives of our own.
Yes the man in this case was a Canadian Soldier and we have a day for mourning it is
called Remembrance Day remember