OTTAWA SHOOTING: HARPER, MULCAIR, TRUDEAU SPEAK ABOUT ATTACK

“Good evening my fellow Canadians. Today the peace of our nation’s capital was shattered by an act of hatred and brutality — cowardly act designed to strike at the heart of our democracy, at the heart of who we are.

But I’m here tonight in solidarity, side-by-side with my colleagues, with our Prime Minister and with all Canadians.

This attack struck with sudden and deadly violence. It was carried out on the very ground where we come together to exchange ideas with the knowledge that whatever our differences, we will always resolve them peacefully.

It was intended to make us more fearful of our neighbours and less confident in ourselves. But it has failed. Today’s events have instead only succeeded in drawing us closer, in making us stronger.

And to the brave women and men of law enforcement, our security services and our Canadian forces, I want to say that your determination, your professionalism and indeed your heroism today will not soon be forgotten.

Just as we have all borne witness to these horrific acts, we have watched in awe your acts of courage, now an abiding emblem of Canadian strength, values and valour.

The thoughts and prayers of everyone here in our nation’s capital are with the family and loved ones of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, the Canadian Forces member from Hamilton, Ont., who lost his life this morning — the second in just a few days.

Cpl. Cirillo was literally standing on guard at a monument dedicated to the sacrifice of others who came before him. To his family and friends, I tell you that 35 million Canadians at home and abroad from coast to coast to coast and around the world stand with you tonight and we will not forget.

In this moment, Canadians are unified in grief and stricken with disbelief. Canada is shaken today but we shall not waver. We woke up this morning in a country blessed by love, diversity and peace and tomorrow we will do the same.

These acts were driven by hatred, but also designed to drive us to hate. They will not. We will stand up, we will stand together. We will persevere and we will prevail.

Good evening.”

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau

“My fellow Canadians: I’m speaking to you from a Parliament Hill just coming out of lockdown. I am deeply saddened by today’s events here in Ottawa and unreservedly condemn these brutal and heartless acts of violence. This attack in unforgivable, should any other perpetrators or co-conspirators exist, they must be caught and be punished to the full force of our laws.

I’ve extended an offer of full support to the government along with assistance members of our party can provide at this time. My thought and prayers, along with those of my colleagues, go out to the family and friends of the victims of today’s horrific shooting, including Cpl. Nathan Frank Cirillo, who was standing dutifully, guarding one of our nation’s most sacred monuments.

It was a cowardly act — an unarmed man was murdered in cold blood at close range. Words cannot express the steep sadness we feel over his loss. To the brave women and men who rushed to the scene to confront the shooter and help keep us safe, I can say only thank you. Thank you for your selfless courage and your professionalism in this time of crisis.

In the days that follow there will be questions, anger and perhaps confusion. This is natural, but we cannot let this get the better of us. Losing ourselves to fear and speculation is the intention of those that commit these heinous acts. They mean to shake us. We will remain resolved. They want us to forget ourselves. Instead, we will remember. We will remember who we are.

We are a proud democracy, a welcoming and peaceful nation and a country of open arms and open hearts. We are a nation of fairness, of justice and the rule of law. We will not be intimidated into changing that. If anything, these are the values and principles to which we must hold on even tighter.

Our dedication to democracy and to the institutions we have built is the foundation of our society and a continued belief in both will guide us correctly into the future. Staying true to our values in a time of crisis will make us an example to the world.

Criminals cannot and will not dictate to us how we act as a nation, how we govern ourselves, or how we treat each other. They cannot and will not dictate our values and they do not get to decide how we use our shared public spaces.

Today, some speak of the loss of innocence in Canada. This is inaccurate. Canada is not and has never been innocent to the threats we face. And we know, as we have always known, that we are not immune. What is true is that we have never let those threats shape us and we have never bowed to those that mean to undermine our values and our way of life. We have remained Canadians and this is how we will carry on.

We will get answers to how and why this happened. They will be vital in preventing any future attack. And to our friends and fellow citizens in the Muslim community, Canadians know acts such as these committed in the name of Islam are an aberration of your faith. Mutual respect and admiration will help to prevent the influence of distorted ideological propaganda posing as religion.

We will walk forward together, not apart.

In the coming days we will be inundated with pictures and videos showing what happened today. But there is one that we should all remember: the picture in our minds of Canadians helping Canadians. That is who we truly are, and that is who we continue to be.

 Good night.”