The Canadian Press
OTTAWA—The police officers, first responders, and citizens who responded with such bravery and compassion to the killings of two Canadian military members a year ago exemplified what Canada is, Gov. Gen. David Johnston said today.
Johnston joined soldiers, veterans, dignitaries, and hundreds of ordinary citizens at the National War Memorial to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Parliament Hill attack that killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Some suggested a year ago that the country would be dramatically changed by the incident, Johnston said, but he disagreed.
“I don’t think Canada changed forever,” he said.
“Canadians are a caring and a courageous people,” he noted. “This is who we are and that will not change.”
Johnston also paid tribute to the sacrifice of Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed two days earlier by an attacker in the Quebec community of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
“Warrant Officer Vincent and Cpl. Cirillo stood up for our democratic values of tolerance, of diversity, of equality, of fairness, and of the rule of law, by which I mean the constant, relentless pursuit of justice≤” he remarked.
“This is who we are.”
Johnston joined Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau, Harper’s designated successor, among those who were on hand to commemorate the tragedy under grey autumn skies.
The memorial began with a 21-gun salute that echoed across downtown Ottawa.
A flypast of CF-18 fighter jets in the so-called “missing man” formation then roared over the monument.
Cirillo, 24, was shot in the back Oct. 22, 2014 as he stood ceremonial guard at the war memorial.
From there, the lone gunman stormed through the front doors of Parliament Hill’s centre block before dying in an hail of bullets.
The incident came 48 hours after Vincent, 53, was killed in an unrelated hit-and-run by an Islamic extremist, who later was killed by police.
