The Attack in Ottawa
As most of you have heard, last week there was an attack in Ottawa. This attack cost the life of one Canadian soldier, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, and shook up everything Canadians took for granted... namely a safe country.
It's been nearly a week since a lone gunman stormed through the Parliament buildings, and in that week, Canadians of all backgrounds and religions have come together.
Sure, we might have the one or two bad seeds, but overall, we're an accepting nation as evidenced by the small Alberta town that helped clean up a vandalized mosque.
Thousands lined the overpass of the highway of heroes as the body of Cpl. Cirillo returned home.
In addition to Cpl. Cirillo, Kevin Vickers was also hailed as a hero. He is the one credited with subduing the Parliament shooter. He might give credit to his whole team, but from eye witness accounts of the incident, Kevin Vicker dove around a pillar and shot the gunman in mid air! What the WHAT?
In recognition of his efforts, and that fact that Mr. Vickers may have saved their lives, MPs gave Mr. Vickers a standing ovation at the start of the next parliamentary session.
So who is Kevin Vickers? Apparently, he's Parliament's Sergeant at Arms. At the beginning of each parliamentary session, he brings in a ceremonial mace. I'm not sure what it signifies, but in addition to this ceremonial tradition, he's in charge of security at Parliament Hill. Frankly, I'm glad he's there.
What I'm most proud of is how Canadians have rallied together in the aftermath. When news outlets tried to sell the fear of the attack, Canadians called them out and shamed them into submission*. News outlets rarely named the attacker and instead mentioned the victim and the hero constantly. To be honest, nearly a week after the attack, I still have no idea the name of the person who committed these outrageous acts.
Life in Canada continued. While things won't be back to normal anytime soon, people have moved on and are continuing to the best of their abilities. Democracy cannot be silenced.
Speaking of democracy, it's municipal election night throughout Ontario. I hope you're heading out to vote. Nothing like voting in droves to show how these attacks won't hold us back.
*One outlet tried to sell the headline Terror in Ottawa and was shamed into changing it to Ottawa Strong.
It's been nearly a week since a lone gunman stormed through the Parliament buildings, and in that week, Canadians of all backgrounds and religions have come together.
Sure, we might have the one or two bad seeds, but overall, we're an accepting nation as evidenced by the small Alberta town that helped clean up a vandalized mosque.
Thousands lined the overpass of the highway of heroes as the body of Cpl. Cirillo returned home.
In addition to Cpl. Cirillo, Kevin Vickers was also hailed as a hero. He is the one credited with subduing the Parliament shooter. He might give credit to his whole team, but from eye witness accounts of the incident, Kevin Vicker dove around a pillar and shot the gunman in mid air! What the WHAT?
In recognition of his efforts, and that fact that Mr. Vickers may have saved their lives, MPs gave Mr. Vickers a standing ovation at the start of the next parliamentary session.
So who is Kevin Vickers? Apparently, he's Parliament's Sergeant at Arms. At the beginning of each parliamentary session, he brings in a ceremonial mace. I'm not sure what it signifies, but in addition to this ceremonial tradition, he's in charge of security at Parliament Hill. Frankly, I'm glad he's there.
What I'm most proud of is how Canadians have rallied together in the aftermath. When news outlets tried to sell the fear of the attack, Canadians called them out and shamed them into submission*. News outlets rarely named the attacker and instead mentioned the victim and the hero constantly. To be honest, nearly a week after the attack, I still have no idea the name of the person who committed these outrageous acts.
Life in Canada continued. While things won't be back to normal anytime soon, people have moved on and are continuing to the best of their abilities. Democracy cannot be silenced.
Speaking of democracy, it's municipal election night throughout Ontario. I hope you're heading out to vote. Nothing like voting in droves to show how these attacks won't hold us back.
*One outlet tried to sell the headline Terror in Ottawa and was shamed into changing it to Ottawa Strong.
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