This is a day that will be burned into many people’s memories. The day a man struggling with addictions and emotional instability turned a corner that can never be unturned. The day the 2nd member of our armed forces in the same week lost their lives on home ground.
We remember and mourn Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who died on Oct 20th, and Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who died on Oct 22nd.
Countless opinions have been shared, speculations made, and theories not-quite-tested put out by the news, social media, call-in radio program listeners, and coffee shop discussions.
Today I won’t debate any aspect of the gunman’s reasoning or motivations. Or whether he was acting for ISIS or haunted by mental illness.
Today I’m going to speak about how our government, and us, the Canadian people, can respond to these horrible tragedies and how we all have the power to defend the values of our Canadian heritage with the certainty that we can prevail.
The Canadian news agencies have given this story excellent coverage at the start. Still, they now seem to be caving in to the public demand for a bloody story, for somehow attaching the actions of a madman to a terrorist group. The lynch-mob mentality is taking hold.
News being reported worldwide has put its slant to the story. Should we be surprised that the Los Angeles Times reports:
“Authorities lifted a lockdown on the core of Canada’s capital city late Wednesday, hours after a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial and gunfire erupted in the Parliament building within yards of the prime minister. Authorities said a suspect, who had been on a government watch list, was shot and killed.
The Ottawa shooting was the second fatal attack on a member of the Canadian armed forces this week, raising fears that the country was facing a terrorist assault.”
Put this in contrast to Elizabeth May’s speech to Parliament on Oct 23rd, a small portion shared here:
“I am undoubtedly going to be wrong again, but what I would like to suggest is that we wait for answers from the police before we make assumptions and that we speak calmly, truthfully and openly to all Canadians.
Let us be the place that exemplifies the words of our founding documents. Let us exemplify peace, order and good government.”
Doug Saunders writes in his article titled “Don’t let the seat of government become a fortress” published by the Globe & Mail, Oct 23rd:
“The angry gunman in the legislature is a constant, distressing phenomenon worldwide, and the way we respond tends to be depressingly similar: by turning democracy into a fortress.”
Stephen Harper takes a tone that supports Doug Saunders’ fear, and in his address to Canadians, says:
“In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts, and those of our national security agencies, to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe here at home,”
When we allow these broad brush labels to creep into our core beliefs, we have given a small handful of men the power to take away our freedoms in so many ways. Once we fall into a police state it’s very hard to fall out of it. Taking “all necessary steps to identify and counter threats” may mean heightened surveillance and communications monitoring.
It might also mean that many innocent people are caught in the dragnet of security measures taken “for the good of the Country” that take away our freedoms even more – freedom of speech, freedom to gather & protest peacefully, freedom to contribute our unique voices to various aspects of the way our government governs, and freedom to ask questions. This strengthened resolve won’t lead to a safer society but will lead to more citizens being labelled as criminals than ever before.
So what can we do? We can continue to speak up, listen to each other and the disenfranchised, and continue being a safe harbour for all citizens who have made Canada their home. Hold the government to moderation and sensibility, regardless of which political stripe they wear. And remember to be a good neighbour.
