Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the New Democratic Party and the Parliament of Canada, I pay tribute to Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo, the soldiers who gave their lives 10 years ago, and I extend our deepest love and sympathy for their families and comrades who still grieve.
Today, we pause to remember a day of deep trauma and violence, but it was also a day of heroism and human decency. When our Parliament was attacked, all of us were there sharing the same load and the same determination, from the cooks in the cafeteria, the cleaners and our security to the most important cabinet ministers on the front bench. All of us were there.
I remember every minute of that day; at least I think I do. It began when the gunshot rang out in the Hall of Honour. That shot injured our parliamentary security hero Samearn Son, who, in taking that shot, bought valuable time. He represents the best of who we are as a nation.
I remember when the shot rang out, and in our caucus room, there was no way to lock the doors. We were not prepared for something like this. We feared, hearing the shots, that we were facing multiple shooters and a hostage situation. We were all trying to figure out what to do next. Alain Gervais put his body against the doors to protect us. There was a bullet lodged in that door. He represents the best of who we are as a nation and I thank him.
I think of Joël Lepage, the guard on the other side of the hall, and Jean-Benoit Guindon, who was at the library. They represent the best of our country and I thank them because they continue to serve Parliament. I also thank all those who were there that day who are no longer here.
I thank Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, who has always been larger than life. He put his life on the line and took the shooter out and never spoke about it. He just did what had to be done.
It was a day of chaos and uncertainty. There were so many rumours that day. We thought there were multiple shooters. In the chaos, we did not know what we were dealing with, but one thing was really clear, and this is what I want to stress today: the incredible heroism of ordinary people, including the frontline responders, the staff here and the people of Ottawa. People stood along the barricaded streets and shouted out encouragement as we were trying to get out of lockdown. People came down to be with us.
I did not sleep much that night. Early the next morning, I felt the need to go to the cenotaph in the darkness to be where Nathan Cirillo had been killed, and there were hundreds of people already there. They were there from all walks of life. I have never forgotten that moment because I thought, this is who we are as a nation. This is what we do in the face of violence. We do not return hate.
We came together as a city, as a nation. That is what we have to remember from this day.
I mention this because there are heroes who have not been given their due. I think of Barbara Winters, who, when the shots rang out, did not run away. She ran into the danger. She held Nathan Cirillo and told him over and over again, “You are loved.” What a beautiful moment. That is who we are. This is the best of our nation. I praise Martin Magnan, who came forward to comfort Nathan Cirillo, and Margaret Lerhe, the nurse who was there in the midst of the chaos.
These people represent the best of us and there is unfinished business in the Parliament of Canada because they have never been properly given their due. Sending people a certificate might be a nice idea, but we do not send a certificate to people who comfort and keep our warriors alive as long as possible. We recognize what they did and we recognize the trauma they carry to this day. I ask my colleagues across all party lines to come together to find a way to recognize not just our parliamentary heroes but the civilians who were there on the front line that day, because they represent the best of who we are as a nation, and we need to remember them.
I would like to conclude by saying there is another reason we need to remember this day. We are watching, around the world, growing radicalization, disinformation and hate. Words matter. They have an impact. When I see the rising threats against everyone from municipal councillors to people going to work in Parliament, words matter. It is incumbent upon all of us in this Parliament to call that out, because on that day, two brave people died.
That day, people were traumatized by violence and disinformation and hate. Words matter. We cannot let that happen again, and we will only let that happen if we forget the lessons of October 22, 2014. The real lesson we have to remember is that that day, despite the chaos and uncertainty, brought out the best of who we are as a nation. It showed the world what Canada is. Canada stands up at times of hatred. Canada reaches out. Canadians were there for each other. That is the lesson we need to remember every day.
