We don't know what's to come [editorial]

Canada stepped through the looking glass Oct. 22 and has come face to face with the terrors of the world right here at home. Our lives just got a whole lot more complicated.

As we go to press, Ottawa is coming out from under cover after being locked down when a shooter opened fire, killing reserve soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was guarding the National War Memorial. “Murdered in cold blood,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a “brutal and violent attack.” He was stricken literally standing guard at the place that honours the sacrifice of those who came before him, said Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair. A sad, sad and terrible thing.

The gunman then entered the Centre Block on Parliament Hill where he died in a hail of bullets, shots that echoed through unusually empty halls. The suspect, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a Canadian citizen born in 1982, had recently been designated a “high-risk traveler” and his passport seized. The Prime Minister, in his speech to the nation that night, directly linked Zehaf-Bibeau to terrorism. Harper said it was a “grim reminder” that Canada is not immune to attacks meant to disrupt our peace, our values, and our confidence, upending the security of this country.

As we go to press, the Capital City of Canada, where many of our people live and work, is in a dynamic and unfolding situation, as described by the RCMP assistant commissioner. We don’t know at this point what specifically motivated the shooter, but we do know that the sand has shifted underneath everyone’s feet.

MP Charlie Angus was one of the first to comment to media. He was in a caucus meeting when the shooting started. “People were getting under tables, trying to block the doors.” He said “we felt like we were in Columbine.”

“There was a real air of unreality. You don’t believe it’s true.”

“We’re safe,” he tweeted. “A group of MPs made it over to Sparks street. Thank you to hill security for putting their lives on line to keep us safe.”

In the aftermath of today’s shooting, Canadian Forces, in which many of our people serve, have been ordered to stay out of uniforms in public. Canada believes they are being targeted. The order comes on the heels of an attack against two soldiers in Quebec where they were purposely run over, with one killed, by a vehicle driven by Martin Rouleau-Couture, who has been described as “radicalized”.

Our people proudly serve protecting our homelands and our citizens. Many have seen unspeakable horrors in battle in foreign lands. But now there is no rest for them, not even in our ancestral lands. We need to pray that they will be protected, do ceremonies. Let the Creator know they are loved and ask to keep them safe. Because things are going to get tough for them, abroad and at home.

There will be some scary times ahead as security across the country is tightened. The Prime Minister has promised a redoubling of security efforts and the tools used to monitor threats to that security. Columnist Thomas Walkom in the Toronto Star wrote “The government wants to give its security agencies more power over citizens. The government wants to rally public support for its war in Iraq.”

The net will surely be cast wide, and many groups, including Indigenous activists groups, will come under more scrutiny than ever before. We don’t stop raising our concerns, fighting for our rights, but we must be mindful of this new reality and be careful about it.

We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the fallen soldier and we wish a speedy recovery to all those who were wounded in the attack on Canada’s Parliament today. And our wish for Canada is for a careful and considered response to today’s events. Many have fought for the peace and freedoms we enjoy. We stand in solidarity with them.

Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, described the morning as senseless and horrifying. She said it has shaken all of those who work in Parliament. May said in a statement “Today is not a day that ‘changes everything’.” We think that’s some wishful thinking and we hope that she will be proven right. What we do know for certain, however, this story has not been completely told and more will unfold in the days to come.

Windspeaker