By Melanie Jacob
Journal Editor
The tragedy that struck the nation during last week's shooting in Ottawa reverberated across the country as provincial representatives were forced to barricade against the threat.
The Member of Parliament (MP), for Saskatoon-Humboldt, Brad Trost, was one of those who had to go through that ordeal up close. According to him, the national caucus began at 9:30 a.m. with the usual basic announcements and national anthem. Everyone was sitting in their usual place when Prime Minister Stephen Harper opened the floor. Suddenly, noises were heard.
"I immediate think gunfire because I'm a hunter. I hunt ducks and goose over the year," said Trost. "The first thing I'm thinking is, 'It can't be.' My mind was moving both fast and in slow motion at the same time."
Trost said everyone was thinking the same thing, that it couldn't be what they thought it was.
"Then there was a boom, boom, boom. I don't know how many shots were fired, but then people started to move," said Trost. "Some move towards one door, others to another door."
All of this happened within a few seconds by Trost's estimation. It didn't take long for people to realize that that wouldn't be their best option. Within 10-20 seconds, they were barricading the doors and people were preparing for whatever was about to happen. While Harper hid in a Parliament Hill closet, the MPs fashioned spears from flagpoles.
"We're on the inside and hear a volley of gunshots. We don't know if it's coming from our guys or not. Since we have to surrender our cell phones before going in, we didn't have any phones or security," said Trost. "We started putting people on both sides of the door and splitting the flagpoles up to hit, split, or trip whoever came through the door."
Fortunately, one of the security guys came through the door first and was able to keep them informed using radio contact. The RCMP arrived shortly after and got the Prime Minister. Then it was a full-scale lockdown.
"We stuck to the walls and took down the chairs because we didn't know if there was another shooter," said Trost. "We stayed there until somewhere around 8:30 at night before being evacuated by bus."
Since they were stuck in there for almost the entire day, the MPs (and other staff) had nothing to eat except some frozen cookies. Many of the members refused to even eat them so that the older MPs and those with diabetic issues could eat.
"The first 15 minutes were tense. The 20-30 seconds were really tense," said Trost.
After the security guard got in and they had communication with the outside, Trost said the atmosphere was much calmer. When Harper was extracted, they knew it they would be okay and it wasn't a full-scale assault. Things calmed down after the first 15-20 minutes and Trost said they were able to tell some jokes, swap stories, and laugh about the way they first reacted.
Then sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers came in and spoke to them.
"He informed us that he had shot the assailant and that element was taken care of. That was an emotional moment; you could tell he was emotional about it. He shot a man at close range. We gave him an ovation at that point," said Trost. "We heard, as most of the country did that day, that the young corporal had passed away. That was an emotional moment when something like that happens, you think real quick about what's important in life.
"I'm proud to say that my first thought was of my wife and how to keep her calm," he said. "I got through to my mum and had her call my wife. She was relaxed by the time I called her because the situation was in hand. We've only been married for two years, yet it's funny that it's changed that much that it was the first thing I thought of."
Following this series of events, Trost says there's likely going to be changes at Parliament. MPs may not be experts at security, but they are experts on how it runs on a day-to-day level, said Trost. They know the weaknesses in the security. Sometimes their behaviour might even be the cause of some of those weaknesses. As such, Trost believes that quite a few of them are going to have personal recommendations for how to clamp down on security.
"We're going to try and make sure it's as open as possible to Canadians," he said. "It's easier to secure a building than a plane, so no airport security. But we have to keep the place safe. There were kids on tour right below us. It's not just our security, it's all Canadians'."
According to Trost, the professional police and security will have to do a review and the people live there will have to find holes in the system. They will have to make suggestions and comments to streamline movement so that things can function, said Trost.
Nevertheless, in spite of the breach, Trost said the country pulled together well.
"Most Canadians only see us when we're being rude to each other but most of the time, we get along," said Trost. "People pulled together, all Canadians, and they wanted to be supportive. It was touching to see who all was concerned about us. We had good, wonderful people all around here that I was proud to be with."
