Thank you very much for your question.
As you said, the events of October 22 were definitely tragic. We also saw on that day the dedication and the professionalism of the law enforcement and security personnel throughout the different phases of the operation during the day.
First, as you now know, it's a layered approach to this security at the moment, and this bill speaks to the need to make changes to that current approach. When the event started at the War Memorial, the police of jurisdiction were the Ottawa Police Service. The OPS responded when the first incident took place, when unfortunately Canadian Forces member Cirillo was shot. When Zehaf-Bibeau transitioned to the grounds of Parliament Hill, it became the responsibility of the RCMP to tackle the threat at that point.
That layering starts with the OPS, the Ottawa Police Service, outside the grounds. When the individual arrives on the grounds of Parliament Hill, it becomes the responsibility of the RCMP. When the individual enters Parliament, the building itself, the Centre Block, then there is joint jurisdiction. Mostly, the individual stayed within the confines of the House of Commons, so the House of Commons protective service was in charge of the event up until the time Zehaf-Bibeau was shot and killed by the different security services who were there during that day.
I think what the events of that day speak to is that there is a need for better coordination of these services. As you know, of course, when you have a very determined individual—with in this case a rifle and a knife—who is determined to do something and is determined that the objective he wants to accomplish will likely end up with him being killed and he's fine with that, it's very difficult to prevent someone like that from carrying out his mission. From that perspective, having an integrated service the way that this bill envisages will allow for better coordination from the grounds of Parliament and inside both chambers in the Senate and in the House of Commons.
In any situation where you have what would be a terrorist incident or a shooting of any other nature, there will be what we call the “fog of war”. There will be confusion and so on, but the more there is coordination between the different entities—and in this case there would be one entity protecting the chambers and all of the members and senators—the more we can reduce the risk that confusion will lead to a tragic outcome.
This bill, by creating this unified security service, is definitely a step in the right direction, meeting the express will of the Senate and the House through the motions and also responding to the detailed report of the Auditor General in 2012.