Yesterday a gunman tried to change our nation when he
murdered a young Corporal standing guard at our War Memorial in Ottawa. Were it
not for the quick thinking and quick-to-react Sergeant-at-Arms there would have likely been
more injuries and perhaps even fatalities when the gunman continued his journey of terror. Shots rang out in the marble halls
of Parliament, a place many of us, including me, have visited and the home of
democracy in our nation. It was a sobering day, one that shook many of us to
our core and one that took me back a very long time ago.
25 years ago there was no easy access to cell phones, no
chattering social media. I recall being mesmerized instead by a flickering
television screen, watching the news roll in about a young man who pointed his
weapon at young female engineering students and shot them point blank for no
other reason than they were women and had the audacity to pursue a career in
engineering. I was not much older than them in 1989, and I was struck by how
easily it could have been me. In recent months as the Intrepid Junior Blogger
has expressed her desire to be an engineer I have thought instead about easily
it could be her, targeted simply because of her gender and her ambition.
I don’t know if we called it terrorism in 1989, although we
should have of course. Whether these acts are tied to larger groups and
militant causes matters little in deeming them terrorist acts, as they are
inherently meant to cause terror. Whenever someone brandishes a weapon and
shoots others it becomes an act of terror, an act designed to create panic and
fear and to terrorize innocent people. And if we let them terrorize us – cause us
to change our path or to alter our destiny – they have won.
Yesterday a young Corporal died while performing what most
would see as a largely safe and ceremonial role. One can only hope his death
does not deter others from following his path, because his loss is tragic and
sad but he died serving his country and all of us. He is a Canadian hero, as is
the Sergeant-at-Arms who did not hesitate to stop a threat.
As I think about a shooting 25 years ago I think about how
this tragic event could have altered my thoughts enough to make me want to
discourage the IJB from her chosen path, but it has done no such thing. In fact
I think perhaps it has made me more steadfast in my resolve to see her achieve
her dream, because there may be no better way to honour the memory of fourteen
women than to reach the goal they had torn from them by an act of terror.
Yesterday as I watched events unfold I could not help but
think how it would – or could – change our country. And yes, it may change some
things, but it will not and can never change the fundamentals. It cannot change
that we are Canadians, a nation that expresses its patriotism perhaps quietly
but in a deep, fervent and profound way. It cannot change that we will continue
to pursue our goals and dreams, whatever they may be and wherever we may find
them. It cannot change our role on the world stage, which is strong and
respected.
And it will never change our hearts. This was not the first
act of terror in our country, and it will not be the last, I am afraid. But we
will stand firm in our beliefs, in our hearts and in our nation as we mourn and
grieve and then go on, just as we did in on a dark, dark day in 1989.
October 22, 2014 will join December 6, 1989 as a tragic day
in Canadian history. But it will not mark the day that Canada changed, because
we will not be changed by terrorists, no matter their intent or target. Because in the end we are Canadian, and that will never, ever change.
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