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Thread: Attack on Canada's Parliament Hill

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Attack on Canada's Parliament Hill

    I don't know how much you're hearing about this in the US and other parts of the world yet, but Canada's Parliament Buildings and downtown core in Ottawa is under lockdown after a Soldier and at least two other people have been shot. The word is that one gunman has been killed while inside the Parliament buildings. For sure shots were fired in the building. Police appear to be tracking another gunman. It's an ongoing situation right now.

    Prime Minister Harper has cancelled a trip to Toronto to meet with Malala Yousafzai this afternoon, where he was supposed to make her an honourary Canadian citizen.

    This is like the White House being attacked.

    Check CNN or CBC for more details.

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    éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Don Arnold's Avatar
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    Frankly, this is more concerning to me than ebola. I heard one commentary this morning suggesting this could only be the "mild beginning" of what ISIS could be planning in our Country. Of course this is early conjecture (I'm not aware if there has been a linkage made to ISIS on this attack), something that only time will prove the accuracy of.

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    Good luck, to all our Canadian friends. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. I did read that the terror warning was raised earlier this week. Is that correct?
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    I have been streaming CBC news all morning and there has been no public statement of who the gunmen may be or who they may be linked to, if anyone. The coverage has actually been very well done with no speculation and only the facts reported.

    Sadly the news was just released that the Soldier who was shot has died.

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    Good luck, to all our Canadian friends. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. I did read that the terror warning was raised earlier this week. Is that correct?
    That's correct. I wasn't aware of that until today. But apparently it was raised from low to moderate.

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    éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Don Arnold's Avatar
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    There was the incident in Quebec two or three days ago where two soldiers were hit by a car. The driver was known by the RCMP and was said to have been "radicalized".

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    Member Dave the Brave's Avatar
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    if its more than one shooter its not just some random nutbar.

    D

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    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    Parliament Hill has always been a little to easy for the general public to access. I believe that ends today, cause the times they are a-changing....
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yves View Post
    Parliament Hill has always been a little to easy for the general public to access. I believe that ends today, cause the times they are a-changing....
    True, but very sad.

    I don't know what security is in place to enter the buildings themselves, but we were in Ottawa for Canada Day this summer and you didn't get onto Parliament Hill without your bags being searched and your body scanned. I felt very safe.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    I don't know what security is in place to enter the buildings themselves, [...]
    Last time I went there (2011) it was roughly comparable to the airport security check for international flights. Had to remove all metal including belts, jewelry, etc. and walk through a metal detector. Women's purses were searched and nail files were confiscated and had to be re-claimed on the way back out.

    Don't know any details yet, of course, but have to assume the shooting today occurred in the main lobby before the security check.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I'll be spinning some Canadian prog tonight in solidarity.

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    Member rottersclub's Avatar
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    I've lived here all my life, so today's events have truly struck close to home. It seems that it was a lone gunman. He and the man who murdered another Canadian soldier two days ago in a city with a large military presence (St. Jean sur Richelieu) were both recent converts to Islam. Connecting the dots back to ISIS should be pretty easy.

    Yves, you are probably right about having to limit access to Parliament after this. Too bad because it's part of our culture to assume to best rather the worst. BTW, the sentry that was shot dead today was equipped with a rife that did not have any bullets. If you are trying to think of something that defines Canada or at least delineates us from our southern neighbours, I think this would be a good one.
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    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    I'll be spinning some Canadian prog tonight in solidarity.
    Was listening to this on the way to work this morning.

    Horrific situation. Could've been so much worse, fortunately it ended quicker than the gunman hoped. Thoughts, prayers and vibes sent up north.
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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rottersclub View Post
    BTW, the sentry that was shot dead today was equipped with a rife that did not have any bullets. .
    I'm as anti-gun as you could possibly get (and no, I'm not trying to make this political), but that doesn't make any sense.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I'm as anti-gun as you could possibly get (and no, I'm not trying to make this political), but that doesn't make any sense.
    It was symbolic Scott. He was a ceremonial guard, guarding the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. Although ceremonial, the guards are all miitary personnel. There has never been any reason in Canadian history to arm these guards (until now).

    More here, if you're interested. Scroll down to Sentry Duty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_Guard

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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    So very sorry, Esther.

    Not said to be flip, cute, funny or clever, just how I initially reacted to this. Immediately thinking, "Oh no! Welcome to the jungle, Canada".
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    It was symbolic Scott. He was a ceremonial guard, guarding the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. Although ceremonial, the guards are all miitary personnel. There has never been any reason in Canadian history to arm these guards (until now).

    More here, if you're interested. Scroll down to Sentry Duty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_Guard
    It's like if someone shot one of those Buckingham Palace guards.

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    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Not that a gun would've done the guard any good in that situation...
    <sig out of order>

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    A bit of background - there had never been guards at the War Memorial until several years ago when a drunkard urinated on the Memorial after Canada Day celebrations. Hence the symbolic presence of two guards now (they are reservists - akin to the USA's National Guard). Jed is also correct in his analogy to the guards at Buckingham palace, except we don't make ours wear those outrageously hot Bearskins.

    Hmmm, I see from the Wikipedia page that Esther provided they are in fact part of the same unit that performs the Changing of the Guard. And the picture shows them wearing Bearskins. I think that only occurs during the summer months, for tourist season. The photos from yesterday did not show the guard who was killed in ceremonial dress. And I understand that the guards at the War Memorial are there 24 hours a day (in shifts obviously), whereas the Wikipedia article indicates they are only posted frm 9 - 5.
    Last edited by rottersclub; 10-23-2014 at 08:51 AM. Reason: Damn Wikipedia!
    Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    It was symbolic Scott. He was a ceremonial guard, guarding the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. Although ceremonial, the guards are all miitary personnel. There has never been any reason in Canadian history to arm these guards (until now).

    More here, if you're interested. Scroll down to Sentry Duty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_Guard
    Quote Originally Posted by rottersclub View Post
    A bit of background - there had never been guards at the War Memorial until several years ago when a drunkard urinated on the Memorial after Canada Day celebrations. Hence the symbolic presence of two guards now (they are reservists - akin to the USA's National Guard). Jed is also correct in his analogy to the guards at Buckingham palace, except we don't make ours wear those outrageously hot Bearskins.
    Thanks. In that context, it makes sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    Not that a gun would've done the guard any good in that situation...
    True. It just seemed kind of silly to me on the surface. Sad, senseless and tragic either way.


    All kinds of stories coming out, with seemingly very few facts, but I really get the feeling that this is just the beginning.
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    Member rottersclub's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by progeezer View Post
    So very sorry, Esther.

    Not said to be flip, cute, funny or clever, just how I initially reacted to this. Immediately thinking, "Oh no! Welcome to the jungle, Canada".
    My thoughts too Steve, in the same way that countries like the Netherlands, Spain and England have all been attacked by rogue Islamists. Unfortunately, there are around 90 more people on the "watch-list" of known ISIL sympathizers. The man who shot the guard yesterday was not on that list, but the man who ran over the soldier in St. Jean was.

    So, the discourse of the moment is whether or not we should harden the security in all the so-called soft targets that symbolize Canada and her way of life. I suspect that as the shock of this event wears off, the changes that are made will be subtle rather than dramatic.
    Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
    -- Russell Banks (paraphrased)

  22. #22
    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by progeezer View Post
    So very sorry, Esther.

    Not said to be flip, cute, funny or clever, just how I initially reacted to this. Immediately thinking, "Oh no! Welcome to the jungle, Canada".
    No worries Steve. I think that thought ran through the heads of a lot of people yesterday, including me. I always knew that Canada was not immune and our time would come. In a sense we were lucky that this wasn't worse. But it was certainly an eye opener.

    I have to say that the immediate reaction of the RCMP and Ottawa Police was quite impressive. It sure didn't take long to shut down and clear out the area. Having been in Ottawa as recently as July of this year, there are A LOT of tourist attractions in the immediate area of Parliament Hill and it is a very busy area with the government buildings, hotels, museums, parks, and shopping centres, all within the area that was shut down.

    So now a slightly funny story. I go to college part-time and had a class last night. One of my classmates mentioned how he had driven to Ottawa on Monday, for business, and drove home on Tuesday. I asked him if his meeting was downtown and it was. I said to him, "Geez, it's a good thing that you weren't there today". He had no idea what had happened. He was at work all day and went straight to school. Never saw or heard the news all day. He couldn't believe what we were telling him and had to go onto the internet to see it for himself.

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rottersclub View Post
    Hmmm, I see from the Wikipedia page that Esther provided they are in fact part of the same unit that performs the Changing of the Guard. And the picture shows them wearing Bearskins. I think that only occurs during the summer months, for tourist season. The photos from yesterday did not show the guard who was killed in ceremonial dress. And I understand that the guards at the War Memorial are there 24 hours a day (in shifts obviously), whereas the Wikipedia article indicates they are only posted frm 9 - 5.
    We were in Ottawa for Canada Day and went to the Changing of the Guards ceremony on Parliament Hill. It was already almost 40 Celsius at 9:00 in the morning and those poor guards were marching and standing in full uniform including Bearskins. I was sweating in shorts and a tank top. I felt very sorry for them.

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    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    My sister-in-law lives in Ottawa. She moved there a couple of years ago from Amman, Jordan. I told her to move back to the Middle-East...where it's safe!
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

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    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    I have been streaming CBC news all morning and there has been no public statement of who the gunmen may be or who they may be linked to, if anyone. The coverage has actually been very well done with no speculation and only the facts reported.
    A bit off-topic here, but this is an interesting article that discusses the differences between how CBC reported yesterdays unfolding events, versus how American news stations report the news. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/...s-like_b243081

    I have a friend who was in the US yesterday and was watching the coverage of this event on CNN. He posted on FB that he eventually had to grab his tablet and stream Canadian coverage because he couldn't stand how CNN was reporting, speculating, and conjecturing.

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