Ten years after a gunman was killed in a hail of bullets in the Center Block of Parliament Hill, security on Parliament Hill has changed markedly, but the debate over how to protect Canada’s Parliament continues. Active.
The National Police Federation (NPF), the union representing the RCMP, has been highly critical of the decision to end the RCMP’s responsibility for grounds security outside Parliament House.
NPF paid for ads asking passengers at bus stops across Ottawa if they felt safe and suggesting the government should “put the RCMP back on the hill.”
Today marks its 10th anniversary. Capitol shooting incidentwhen a gunman killed Ceremonial Guard Corporal. Nathan Cirillo visited the National War Memorial and then stormed Center Block. An investigation conducted after the attack found that communication between multiple police forces in Ottawa was limited, creating an atmosphere of chaos.
The shooting caused confusion at the Capitol. The RCMP was replaced by the newly created Parliamentary Protection Service (PPS), an independent armed security force responsible for protecting the grounds and Parliament House itself.
Despite its independence, PPS is overseen by a director who is an officer of the RCMP. Its director reports to the Speakers of both houses of Parliament and reports on operational matters to the RCMP Commissioner.
Prior to the creation of the PPS, the House of Representatives and the Senate each had their own protective services responsible for security within their respective buildings.
A report on security on Parliament Hill prepared by the Ontario Provincial Police in response to the shooting concluded that security on Parliament Hill needs to be simplified.
”The report said cooperation between the House of Commons Security Service, the Senate Security Service and the RCMP was inadequate, saying: “All three agencies operate as separate entities, with limited interaction and information sharing.” states.
The three agencies also use different radio systems, and “communications was a major issue in this incident,” the OPP report said.
PPS and RCMP unions are at odds
Although some of the silo has been eliminated by having the PPS solely responsible for internal and external security for Parliament Hill buildings, the NPF continues to argue that the PPS is not fit for purpose. The union says it wants the RCMP to be responsible for security inside the Capitol building and grounds.
The NPF points out that the PPS is a security agency, not a police force. Its members are not trained as police officers and do not have the authority to arrest people. PPS members are armed and can detain individuals, but they must notify Ottawa Police to make an arrest.
NPF vice-president Dennis Miller told CBC News that PPS is also not part of an information-sharing agreement between police forces, which he said undermines security on the Hill.
“They have been trained as security guards despite having no other conditions. They are taking up posts,” he said. “There is no training on bodyguards, there is no training on personal protection.”
The union says the RCMP will deploy a force of 200 to 300 trained officers with arrest powers on behalf of PPS and can quickly call in more cavalry if an incident occurs. .
“If the RCMP had 300 bodies on a hill, and they put those 300 bodies on a hill and escorted them away,” Miller said, referring to the large-scale protests that have shut down much of downtown Ottawa. “If the Corps woke up again today, it would be a one-stop shop.” 2022.
“We have been alerted and we are mobilizing. So the additional 1,500 to 1,600 bodies that we brought in will be mobilized in days rather than weeks.”
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhem, PPS’s first director, disagrees. He said he sees no operational security gaps and that the relationship between PPS and the Ottawa Police Service appears to be working well.
“I think the structure is great at the moment,” Duhame told Radio-Canada in a French-language interview broadcast Sunday. “It has evolved significantly and is much more in line with today’s demands…This is remarkable considering all the major events surrounding the integration of PPS.”
This year’s federal budget pledges $50 million over the next five years to the Ottawa Police Service to beef up security near Parliament Hill.
Since the events of October 22, 2014, the way Congress operates on a day-to-day basis has also changed.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons at the time of the Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attack. Speaking to a Congressional committee in November 2014. Additional security posts had been set up outside the center block to pre-screen visitors.
He also said tours during caucuses, when the Capitol could be filled with lawmakers and staff, have been canceled, the tours themselves have been scaled back and the doors to the Capitol are locked after business hours.
A source in the Speaker’s office told CBC News that these measures are still in place. A PPS spokesperson would not discuss them.
“Since the establishment of the PPS, the overall security at the Capitol and within the Capitol has been strengthened from a technical, tactical, and infrastructural perspective,” the agency said.
“For security reasons, we are unable to provide further details about our operations, functions, and capabilities.”
