Attack on Parliament Hill in Ottawa

[Temjin]

Updated

Shooter still believed at large in downtown Ottawa.
Police searching cars leaving Ottawa trying to go to Quebec.
Report of additional shot fired near Chateau Laurier hotel, east of Parliament Hill.
Police going door to door on Sparks Street; downtown schools in lockdown.
All three main party leaders, Harper, Mulcair and Trudeau, reported safe.

Parliament Hill has come under attack today after a man with a rifle shot a soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa, before seizing a car and driving to the doors of Parliament Hill's Centre Block nearby.

MPs and other witnesses reported several shots fired inside Parliament, and a gunman has been confirmed dead inside the building.

Police sources say there is more than one suspect, and shots have been reported at other locations surrounding Parliament Hill as the downtown area remains in police lockdown.

Mobile users, watch CBC News live coverage of the Ottawa attacks
On mobile? Follow the live blog from CBC reporters on the ground
View photos from Parliament Hill

It was not immediately known if there are further injuries, but paramedics have been seen carrying a stretcher into the Chateau Laurier Hotel, just east of Parliament Hill. There were reports of shots fired there as well.

Alain Merisier, who works at the cafeteria in one of the Parliament Buildings, told CBC News that said he saw a man in a car at the Centre Block with a long gun.
Ottawa War Memorial shooting

First responders arrive after multiple shots were fired at Ottawa's National War Memorial on Wednesday morning. A soldier as well as one gunman are dead, and much of the downtown Ottawa area is in lockdown. (Laura Payton/CBC)

Witnesses said they then heard shots fired, and there was an unconfirmed report of a person injured outside the Library of Parliament.

Police confirmed the shooting at the National War Memorial, and sealed off the area while the injured soldier was given emergency medical aid. He was later put into an ambulance.

"We were waiting there for a city tour and suddenly I heard four shots," said Jan Luchtenburg, a tourist visiting downtown Ottawa from Holland.

"Suddenly I saw a small guy with long black hair... with a long rifle, and he ran away after the shots, across streets in the direction of Parliament Hill," he said.

Reevo Namic, another bystander, said "all of a sudden I just heard a shot, turned around and there was a guy with a rifle....and just pow pow.

"Then I saw one of the other Armed Forces guys just running. He barrelled over, just ran right over. The other guy just dropped. I looked back and just dived underneath and immediately called 911."

The National War Memorial stands in Confederation Square in the heart of downtown Ottawa. The Parliament Buildings are to the northeast.
MPs moved to safety

Scott Walsh, who was working on Parliament Hill, said he saw a man running with a double-barrelled shotgun, wearing a scarf and blue jeans.

A soldier, police and paramedics tend to a soldier shot at the National Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday.

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Walsh said the man hopped over the stone fence that surrounds Parliament Hill, with his gun forcing someone out of their car. He then drove to the front doors of Parliament and fired at least two shot, Walsh said.

Cabinet ministers, MPs and journalists in the buildings housing the House of Commons and Senate were in lockdown as police tracked the gunman.

The Prime Minister's Office says Stephen Harper is safe and not on Parliament Hill. Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are also safe, it has been reported.

Police are still searching for any other gunmen, and have sealed off the area, moving bystanders and reporters to the nearby Chateau Laurier Hotel. Other witnesses were taken to the city's police headquarters.

New Democrat MP Hélène Laverdière said she heard 20 to 30 shots, and hit the floor. She and fellow MPs Charlie Angus and Rosane Doré Lefebvre were later led out of the Centre Block to safety.

Doré Lefebvre said she was worried about getting her daughter from the daycare facility on Parliament Hill.

[Temjin]

Ottawa police just confirmed that there was a third shooting near the Rideau Centre shopping mall.

[Lonestar]

Given the difference in information coming out(seriously? long barreled rifle, double barreled shotgun?) it's going to be interesting to see when it finally gets sorted out. To this day there are idiots who say that Sandy Hook was a conspiracy because some journalist reported that the shotgun found in the trunk was used in the shooting the day of, so obviously it was a scam for a new AWB.

[The Romulan Republic]

Maybe their are accounts of more than one gun because their's more than one shooter. That seems to be at least a possibility.

[Lonestar]

Well, it went hours before Sandy Hook was verified as only one shooter, and that school wasn't covered with security cameras. If in fact there were multiple shooters at the site, you'd think they would have mentioned by now,

[Temjin]

From what I was seeing on the news, there might be up to three shooters. There might only be one. Not enough information right now.

[Jub]

Looks like it was a lone shooter, but I'll wait until tomorrow to post any news because we know how quickly things can change in cases such as these.

[Enigma]

From what I've read, there was no shooting at the Rideau Center shopping mall.

The soldier slain was Cpl. Nathan Frank Cirillo. The shooter was Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

[cosmicalstorm]

A jihadist, I'm in shock



He ran past the room of Harper if I get it right, that could have been even more interesting. Harper was supposed to meet Malala that day, possible motive.

[The Romulan Republic]

Don't think it was about his meeting with Malala. If it was, why would't the shooter just go to Toronto where the meeting was going to be?

[cosmicalstorm]

Probably a coincidence, but considering how much Islamists hate womens rights and Malala, it would have been a good motive.

[Enigma]

Mind you, the Prime Minister was in the Parliament Building so he could have had a chance to gun him down if the PM wasn't quickly rushed to safety.

[Tribble]

As terrible as this attack is, I'm even more concerned about the response. Stephen Harper's government already has a history of trying to restrict civil liberties and violate constituitonal rights in the name of security. For example, they are firm believers of giving all police forces the right to warrantlessly monitor and record all electonic communications, including email. Will Canada soon have its own version of the Patriot Act, or perhaps something even worse?

[Broomstick]

Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin McVickers got a standing ovation from the Canadian parliament today, it was quite moving.

Also, this editorial cartoon:


I'm sorry Canada was subjected to this yesterday. I hope you deal with these sorts of threats better than the US did.

[Tribble]

Intersting that there is more discussion going on about Obama's credit card being declined than on an attack in a nation's capital

[madd0ct0r]

there's not a huge amount to discuss. probable islamist nutcase shoots at people. A soldier lost his life doing his job.

[Jub]

there's not a huge amount to discuss. probable islamist nutcase shoots at people. A soldier lost his life doing his job.

Plus Canadians aren't Americans, there has been very little freaking out and calling for changes due to the act of a lone nut. This sort of attitude is why this has already faded from the news and why I'm not sure if fears of Harper enacting any freedom infringing laws on the back of this are founded.

[Thanas]

This is a great reaction. Respect.

[Eternal_Freedom]

This is a great reaction. Respect.

That's great

[Jub]

This is a great reaction. Respect.

Not everyday that ends up happening, but it's awesome that they thought to defend themselves.

[The Romulan Republic]

there's not a huge amount to discuss. probable islamist nutcase shoots at people. A soldier lost his life doing his job.

Plus Canadians aren't Americans, there has been very little freaking out and calling for changes due to the act of a lone nut. This sort of attitude is why this has already faded from the news and why I'm not sure if fears of Harper enacting any freedom infringing laws on the back of this are founded.

What do you make of this?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa- ... -1.2811571

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney is giving more indications of how the government intends to strengthen Canada's security laws in the wake of Wednesday's attack in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

The minister told Radio-Canada on Friday that the government is eyeing the thresholds established in Canadian law for the preventive arrests of people thought to be contemplating attacks that may be linked to terrorism. Officials are considering how to make it easier to press charges against so-called lone-wolf attackers.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau denied Libyan passport
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Gunman's movements caught on video, but questions remain
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau not among 90 being probed, RCMP say
"The challenges are the thresholds — the thresholds that will allow either preventive arrest, or charges that lead to sentences, or more simple operations," Blaney said in French. "So what the prime minister has asked is for us to review in an accelerated manner the different mechanisms that are offered to police to ensure everyone's security."

In a subsequent interview with CBC News, he said the measures recently introduced in anti-terrorism legislation don't go far enough.

"When we tabled the Combating Terrorism Act, we activated some capability for our law enforcement to do some [preventive arrests]" he told the program Power & Politics in an interview to air Friday.

"What we are realizing now is there are some thresholds that would need adjustment so that it is more practical and more functional to intervene."

'I've been saying that our laws and police powers need to be strengthened in the area of surveillance, detention and arrest.'
—Prime Minister Stephen Harper
In Brampton, Ont., Friday, Justice Minister Peter MacKay said the government would go beyond an originally planned bill that would have strengthened the powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and is looking in particular at trying to pre-empt terrorist activity, Reuters reported.

A senior government source told CBC News the government is considering a single bill that would introduce changes to the legislation governing both security officials and police.

On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Stephen Harper reminded the House of Commons that his government had already announced changes to the law governing CSIS, Canada's spy agency, changes that would include anonymity for sources and increased information sharing with other countries.

Harper also said he believes police powers need to be increased.

"In recent weeks, I've been saying that our laws and police powers need to be strengthened in the area of surveillance, detention and arrest," he said as MPs returned one day after a gunman killed a soldier and made his way into Centre Block on the Parliament Hill.

"They need to be much strengthened, and I assure you, Mr. Speaker, that work which is already underway will be expedited."

No specific threats identified

There was a great deal of chatter about a terrorist attack, but no specific threat to Parliament or Canadian Armed Forces soldiers leading up to this week's attacks in two provinces, CBC News has learned.

Sources with access to the highest clearance intelligence on the two attacks say there were common traits between the two men who carried out the attacks — Michael Zehaf-Bibeau in Ontario and Martin Couture-Rouleau in Quebec — but intelligence made it clear there was no direct link between the two.

A source who has gone over intelligence reports on both men said they both came from broken homes, were adrift in their lives, used drugs and were self-radicalized.

A senior cabinet source says the prime minister still has confidence in his security and intelligence leaders as well as the quality of the advice he is receiving based on that intelligence, but there will be a push for changes in how security around Parliament Hill is deployed.

Cabinet is expected to be pushed toward cracking down on those who promote the kind of admiration of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and hatred of Jews and Christians that were found on Couture-Rouleau's Facebook page.​

Timing of legislation unclear

It's not clear when new legislation would be introduced, or when the government might move to boost these police powers.

Liberal MP David McGuinty says he'll wait to see what the government proposes. But he cautioned the government not to move too quickly or too drastically.

RCMP commissioner
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said at a press conference Thursday he doesn't have the resources to watch suspected extremists around the clock. (Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press)

"Before we proceed with too much speed here in terms of vesting new powers, I think we have an obligation to examine what we have in place, and secondly I think we need to really ask some tough and probative questions," he said.

McGuinty said the government has not yet explained why existing powers haven't been used to charge any of the 90-some radicalized Canadians now on the RCMP radar.

In a news conference yesterday, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson noted the police currently cannot charge anyone who has yet to commit a crime, and suggested there needs to be a change.

"We need to look at all options to deal with this sort of difficult and hard-to-understand threat," he said.

Paulson added that more resources are also needed.

He said he's had to reassign about 250 skilled officers from other federal investigations involving things such as organized crime and financial integrity to investigate potential terrorist suspects.

"I've had suggestions, people saying on our high-risk travellers, why don't you just put surveillance on them all 24 hours a day," he said. "OK, but there's not going to be anybody else doing anything else.… It is a drain on resources, I can tell you that."

Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau also voiced his frustration, saying Parliament needs to act "to provide us the tools within the Constitution that allows us better monitoring mechanisms and opportunities to prevent these types of incidents from taking place."

Still, cautionary notes were sounded even among Conservative stalwarts about the government's plans.

Former public safety minister Stockwell Day also argues the government should proceed carefully.

"There are always limitations, and this is what we have to realize in a free and democratic society. Any time you increase your security, you decrease your freedom somewhere," he said.

Hate speech changes coming?

Under the current laws, anyone found guilty of inciting hatred against an identifiable group — which the Criminal Code defines as "any section of the public distinguished by colour, race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex or sexual orientation" — can be sentenced to up to two years in prison.

The government's proposed anti-cyberbullying bill, which is currently before the Senate, would expand that list to include mental and physical disabilities.

It would also extend the power of the court to seize and remove online material that promotes genocide.

Last year, Conservatives voted to repeal a controversial section of the Canadian Human Rights Act that gave the federal human rights commission the power to investigate complaints related to online hate speech.

Make of it what you will, but I don't trust Harper.

[Jub]

I was hoping the lack of uproar would have prevented this sort of thing, but it looks like Harper will drag us towards a US model of leadership even if we don't want or need it.

[Tribble]

When the RMCP Commissioner states that the police currently cannot charge anyone who has yet to commit a crime and suggests there needs to be a change, I become very concerned. Espeically because he's wrong. Police can already charge people who conspire or attempt to commit criminal offences, including terrorism. After all, the police arrested and charged the "Toronto 18" terrorists before they were ready to carry out their plans.

I have absolutely no trust in this government whatsoever, and I have absolutely no desire to have my rights gutted simply because one madmen with a gun decided to go on a shooting spree.

[Koolaidkirby]

I think its because there's a legal difference between a group of people conspiring to commit a crime and 1 person conspiring with himself to commit a crime.

(not that I'm a legal expert)