Memorials and tributes are taking place across Ottawa on Tuesday to remember Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, an honour guard stationed at the National War Memorial, killed 10 years ago today.
A private memorial service was held Tuesday morning at the National War Memorial. Other tributes are expected on Parliament Hill.
On Oct. 22, 2014, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed Cirillo in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and injured several others before storming inside Parliament Hill’s Centre Block and fired dozens of shots. Zehaf-Bibeau was eventually gunned down by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and six other RCMP officers.
The attack came only days after a man drove his car into two soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., killing Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent
The attack shut down Ottawa’s downtown core for hours and received national and international attention.
Cirillo, a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was 24 years old.
The Argylls remembered Cirillo on Tuesday.
“As we mark this solemn anniversary, the regiment has come together to reflect, to heal, and to uphold our proud legacy of service to Canadians,” the regiment said in a social media post.
“While we remember the pain of hearing reports coming from the National War Memorial in Ottawa, we have not let tragedy define us. Instead, we continue to triumph in the face of adversity, stand on guard, and uphold the values that make Canada strong, proud, and free.”
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who had just signed off from his daily radio show on Newstalk 580 CFRA on the day of the attacks, also looked back on that day.
“Like many Ottawa residents I’m thinking back to the events of October 22, 2014 that shocked our city. Let’s continue to honour the memory of Nathan Cirillo and be grateful for the heroes who rushed to his side and everyone who acted courageously to respond to the crisis,” he said on X.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, an MP and Liberal Party leader at the time, wrote a statement marking the anniversary, saying our “hearts are with their families and friends who still grieve the loss of their loved one.”
“Canadians saw terrifying pictures and videos of an attack on Parliament Hill. But there is one image from that day I remember clearly: people protecting one another as we took shelter wherever we were. I remember that, in the days that followed, political debate was subsumed by collegial support. And above all, we all remember the service and the sacrifice of those who stood guard, and those who rushed toward danger to save lives,” he said.
“That is what we remember today, and what we must never forget.”
Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was a Conservative cabinet minister at the time, said, “both men were murdered for the uniform they wore and for standing guard for our nation.”
“Today, as we did a decade ago, Canada mourns their loss, and we honour their memories and the sacrifice they paid defending our country.”