OTTAWA — Ottawa marked the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on Parliament Hill Tuesday, but for the family of the reservist who was killed that day the memory is still raw.
"I can't believe it's been 10 years. It felt like it was yesterday," said Ephraim Cirillo after a private family ceremony held at the National War Memorial Tuesday morning.
His cousin, 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, was shot to death on Oct. 22, 2014, while he was guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the memorial. The gunman also shot at Cpl. Branden Stevenson, who was guarding the site with Cirillo that morning.
Ephraim Cirillo said Stevenson is one of his best friends.
"It was tough just knowing that my best friend was beside (Nathan) as well," he said, adding that "it was nice to know that Nathan had Branden to comfort him in his final breaths."
Ephraim Cirillo said he wants people to remember Nathan's bravery and love for his family.
"He was brave, he was a leader, he was an amazing human being … I wish he could still be here today," he said.
Ephraim said he's visited the memorial almost every year since the attack to honour Nathan and support his mother. The cousins were just one year and one day apart, and used to celebrate their birthdays together, he said.
After targeting Cirillo, the gunman made his way down the street to Parliament Hill and entered Centre Block, where he fired multiple shots before he was killed.
The attack happened in the Hall of Honour while Conservative and NDP MPs were gathered in surrounding committee rooms for their weekly caucus meetings. It forced then-prime minister Stephen Harper and MPs into lockdown for hours, and drew attention to security lapses on and around Parliament Hill.
MPs held a moment of silence Tuesday in the House of Commons following question period to commemorate both the Ottawa attack and a separate terrorist attack which took the life of warrant officer Patrice Vincent in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. two days before the Parliament Hill shooting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre both delivered statements on the anniversary Tuesday, as did NDP MP Charlie Angus and Bloc MP Louis Plamondon, all of whom were on the Hill the day of the attack.
In his speech Trudeau recognized the presence in the gallery of Samearn Son, a Parliament Hill security guard on duty at the front doors that day who was shot in the leg by the gunman. MPs gave Son a standing ovation.
Poilievre called the event an "attack on our democracy" and recalled hearing the sound of gunfire from inside the Conservative caucus room.
Angus grew teary as he recognized Alain Gervais, a Hill security guard in 2014 who stood to block the door inside the NDP caucus room as bullets struck it from the outside.
"We pause to remember a day of deep trauma and violence, but it was also a day of heroism and human decency," said Angus.
Angus recalled the morning after the attack he went back to the place where Cirillo had been killed.
"There were hundreds of people already there. They were there from all walks of life. And I've never forgotten that moment because I thought, this is who we are as a nation."
Speaking in French, Plamondon said the attack was one of the darkest days for Parliament Hill, and noted that it changed things in the House of Commons forever.
Security on and around the Hill has increased significantly since, and the Parliamentary Protective Service was created less than a year after the attack. The service amalgamated the House of Commons and Senate protective services into a single entity, overseen by a director who is a member of the RCMP.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said there are still lessons to be learned from that day.
"There was heroism on all sides, bravery, courage, and many tears, but there was never an inquiry," she said.
"I will add now that it's never too late to actually look with fresh eyes at what happened and learn those lessons."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press
