No one could have predicted what took place in Ottawa last Wednesday and the local Member of Parliament was in the thick of things.
Fort McMurray-Athabasca MP David Yurdiga was just metres away, in the Conservative caucus meeting room in the Parliament Buildings, from where the lone gunman responsible for killing a solder was shot dead by the Sergeant-at-Arms, who is the head of Parliamentary security.
Yurdiga sent a message to the Advocate that morning confirming he was safe in a secure location and that, “I heard approximately 30 shots fired.”
He added, “We are all safe and secure. I’m very proud of our security team for keeping us safe, they are truly heroes.”
It was only later that it was learned just how close Yurdiga was and how far the gunman had gotten inside Parliament.
It took police and parliamentary security several hours to evacuate and then clear several blocks surrounding Parliament as they searched for other shooters that were thought to be in the area.
The next day, Yurdiga provided a few comments about the previous day’s events.
“I would like to thank all of the constituents of Fort McMurray-Athabasca for their kinds words the past few days and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Corporal Nathan Cirillo,” he said.
“These events are a firm reminders that Canada is not immune to the kind of attacks that we have seen elsewhere around the world. We are also reminded that the attacks on our security personnel and on our institutions of governance are, by their very nature, attacks on our country, on our values, on our society.
“But let there be no misunderstanding, Canada will never be intimidated. In fact, this will strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts, and those of our national security agencies, to talk all necessary steps to keep Canadians safe.”
Yurdiga added that not only is he confident, but that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the rest of the federal Conservative government feel that all Canadians will come together through this challenging time and will remain vigilant – both on home soil and abroad – in watching out for those that may intend to do harm.
As of Friday, the offices of Parliament and all other surrounding buildings were back to operating normally.
