Only a wall separated Westlock-St. Paul MP Brian Storseth from an exchange of gunfire and violence, as a lone gunman’s assault on Parliament Hill sent Ottawa, along with the rest of the country, into terror on the morning of Oct. 22.
“It was a typical Wednesday morning,” Storseth said, as he began to recount the dramatic turn of events that took place on Parliament Hill, last week. But what started as a typical morning quickly dissolved into chaos following the attack that took place as Storseth, along with the Prime Minister and MPs, stood nearby.
“The men and women in our caucus who had RCMP experience, military experience . . . really took over at that time,” he said. Members barricaded the room and did what they could to protect themselves.
Ottawa plunged into a heightened state of alert just before 10 a.m. that morning, as a gunman approached the National War Memorial and fired a fatal shot at Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing guard there. He then drove to Parliament Hill, where he hijacked a car and drove towards Parliament’s Centre Block, pursued by police. Officers chased the gunman through the doors of the building, where he exchanged fire with House of Commons Security and RCMP officers.
Storseth admits that when he heard the first shot, he simply thought someone had dropped something. The Conservative MP was in the caucus room, with just a wall dividing MPs and the Prime Minister from the shooter at one point, and when subsequent shots rang out, Storseth says he quickly realized it was gunfire and the morning would be anything by typical.
Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and the shooter hid behind pillars while firing at one another, with Zehaf-Bibeau killed in the exchange.
Zehaf-Bibeau was later identified as a 32-year-old Canadian, with a lengthy criminal record, for crimes including drug possession, impaired driving, weapons offences, assault causing bodily harm, theft, and possession of break-in tools.
Ottawa remained in lockdown for several hours after the incident, as Ottawa Police confirmed they were dealing with multiple suspects and “investigating several shooting incidents in downtown Ottawa.” Only after 8 p.m., 10 hours after Ottawa was first plunged into terror, was the safety perimeter around the downtown core lifted.
During a press conference with RCMP on Oct. 23, it was noted that Zehaf-Bibeau was in the process of applying for a passport, possibly to go to Saudi Arabia.
Because of confidentiality rules, MPs aren’t allowed to bring cell phones into the caucus room, which made communication difficult during a crucial time. But, Storseth had only good things to say about the many emergency services personnel who reacted and did their job on Wednesday morning.
The MP believes the shooting reminded Canadians to honour the sacrifices being made by RCMP members and other personnel, every day they put on their uniforms.
Canadians should “stop and thank these guys for the work they do on our behalf,” he says, adding, “There isn’t a day off for the men and women of the RCMP in our area.”
He noted there were many heroes that stood out during the shooting, which is another thing he hopes Canadians take away from the event. Specifically, Storseth pointed out the actions of Vickers, stating, Vickers is “a national hero” and “what he did was above and beyond.”
Speaking the day after the events unfolded, Storseth said going through a terrorist attack creates a certain bonding experience between the people who went through the event together.
“It’s surreal.”
Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills MLA Shayne Saskiw noted the event took the whole country aback. “It’s pretty shocking when the beacon of democracy in Canada is threatened,” he said, adding it was a “senseless act” of violence to see a soldier shot at a place of remembrance. Both he and Storseth said their thoughts went out to the family of Cpl. Cirillo.
The number one message Storseth would like to pass on to constituents, and all Canadians, is that despite the attack at Parliament Hill, “it’s business as usual,” and the government would not let violence change how democracy works in Canada and Canadians shouldn’t allow fear to change “the way we run our lives.”
“I got up this morning, hugged my wife, hugged my kids . . . and said, ‘It’s my job to represent the people in my area,’” said Storseth. Despite a few broken windows and bullet holes in the building, the work of Parliament will continue to be done.
Days before the shooting, the threat level in Canada was raised from low to medium, but hasn’t been changed since, according to Storseth. During the RCMP media conference, it was noted that the threat level at Parliament Hill had been at an elevated level long before the shooting occurred.
Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson issued a statement following the attack on Parliament Hill, stating, “Our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces will continue to stand on guard, vigilant in their duty to protect Canada and Canadians.”
Storseth added, “We will use this to unite our country, and not divide.”
