Remembering Nathan Cirillo
He continues to stand on guard
I will never forget the day that Nathan Cirillo died or how his death has continued to ripple through our lives in the years since that fateful day. I was in lockdown in the Centre Block of Parliament when I learned that one of our sentry soldiers at the National War Memorial had been killed. Our lockdown was a result of the aftermath of Cirillo’s death. The killer forced his way into Parliament following the attack at the National War Memorial. I did not know the name of the soldier who was killed when I poured my emotions into a blog post (reproduced below) written on my cell phone from inside our caucus room. It was only hours later that I learned that our fallen soldier was a father, a patriot and a proud soldier from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s). I had never met Nathan Cirillo, but he is someone I think about regularly, especially on October 22.
I am writing this essay today because I want Nathan’s son Marcus to know how much his father is remembered by his country and its allies. I will never forget the outpouring of grief the country felt for the loss of one of our soldiers standing watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Ottawa. Notices of grief and condolences flooded the Foote Armouries in Hamilton, where Nathan’s regiment was based, as well as into the offices of Members of Parliament from all parties. Many of the people in my riding of Durham and from across the military community wanted to show their support for Nathan’s family and requested that his remains be returned to Hamilton via the Highway of Heroes to allow for this love and support to be demonstrated. This was quickly arranged and I was so proud that Rebecca, Mollie and Jack were on the bridge in Bowmanville when the cortège passed through Durham. I remember seeing Rebecca’s photos of the people on the bridge as I wrapped up one of my most difficult weeks in Ottawa. It brought me comfort.
Days later, I remember boarding a C-130 Hercules aircraft in Ottawa for the funeral of Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton. MPs from all parties - including third party leader Justin Trudeau - piled in the back of the Herc together for the journey. This was not just a show of unity and support for the family, but we were all still in shock and relied on one another. The normal routine of partisanship seemed so irrelevant during those days of mourning. Prime Minister Harper joined our group in Hamilton as the entire country came together in grief and shock following the attack. I’ll never forget running into my old 423 Squadron mate Kevin West on the Herc flight. He was serving at the Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer at the time and we had always talked about getting together in Ottawa. It took a period of national mourning for us to take a moment to reconnect. Military members, politicians and clergy filled the seats in the back of a transport aircraft sitting with and leaning on one another as we began the process of healing.
The country found much comfort in the dark days after the attack in the heartwarming story of the six Canadians who responded to help Nathan Cirillo after the shooting. I know the family and military community in Hamilton found solace in their actions as well. Thinking about these special people who rushed to Nathan’s side still brings tears to my eyes nine years later. These six Canadians did not know one another, but they all responded swiftly with the hope of saving Nathan’s life and are now bonded for life. They used their training to administer first aid, but this aid evolved into comfort and messages of love and support in his final moments as their valiant efforts could not save his life.
You're a good man, you're a brave man. Your family loves you. Your parents are so proud of you. Your military family loves you. All the people here, we're working so hard for you…You are so loved.
- Barbara Winters
You are so loved. I was so moved by this story that I sought out Barbara Winters a few weeks after the attack. I wanted to let her know how much her actions helped me. I also told her they helped the entire country heal from the death of Nathan. I presented her with my challenge coin to thank her for her heartwarming and brave actions that day and we enjoyed a lunch together in the parliamentary dining room sharing stories about careers in the military and in law. A few weeks later, she visited my hill office to present me with a photograph of Nathan Cirillo and Corporal Branden Stevenson on duty at the War Memorial. Barbara took the photo just minutes before the attack. Nathan and Branden are frozen in time in the photo without a hint of the horror that would come. I framed this powerful photo and it was displayed in all of my various parliamentary offices until I left office just a few months ago. Barbara’s photo hung on my office walls just below a reproduction of the striking Bruce MacKinnon cartoon that my in-laws in Nova Scotia bought for me following the attack. The photo from Barbara and the iconic MacKinnon cartoon would often draw in visitors to my office, as they slowly made the connection between the two images. It would often allow me to talk about Nathan and the inspiring Canadians who tried to save him that day. I think of Barbara on October 22, as I know that she and many others continue to carry the burden of trauma from that day.
The memory of Nathan Cirillo also followed me into my role as Minister of Veterans Affairs, as another one of the amazing six Canadians who rushed to Nathan’s side became part of my ministerial team in Ottawa. My Chief of Staff, the late John MacDonell, told me he wanted to hire a bilingual press secretary for me and that he had the perfect candidate. He told me that Martin Magnan was made for the role because he had served in the Royal Canadian Navy, had communications experience and that he has a very special desire to give back to veterans. When I asked John what he meant by the last part of the description, he told me of Martin’s role responding to Nathan after the shooting. I did not need to even meet Martin after hearing this story. He was hired and became a key part of our team. He remains a good friend to this day.
I said that both Canada and our allies remember and honour the loss of Nathan Cirillo because I was witness to the cross-border impact of the attack on October 22 during my time as minister. Four months after the events of that day, I visited Arlington National Cemetery in Washington as the Minister of Veterans affairs. The Canadian Embassy in Washington arranged for me and some other MPs to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice. I was greeted by the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery and was struck by the first words out of his mouth to our delegation.
On behalf of Arlington National Cemetery and The Old Guard family, we offer our deepest condolences to your country following the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo. We felt his loss here, as if he was one of our own.
- Jack Lechner, Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery
The Old Guard are the U.S. Army unit that provide the sentinels for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They are on guard every day of the year. Nathan Cirillo was part of the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier program that was modeled after The Old Guard. Even though our program is more recent and is only seasonal, the team at Arlington viewed Nathan’s loss as their own. The death of Corporal Cirillo was felt across the the world and most acutely by those allied military organizations dedicated to commemoration of the fallen.
Commemoration of the death of Nathan Cirillo and the attack of October 22 also ended up marking the end of my time as minister. My Veterans Affairs team wanted to ensure that a memorial marker was placed at the edge of the National War Memorial to commemorate the loss of Nathan Cirillo by the time we marked the one-year anniversary of his death. Most of the bureaucracy in Ottawa was completely opposed to this initiative, but our team pushed it along anyway with the support of the regimental family and the public. Never did we expect that the dedication of this small memorial marker would also end up being my last action as Minister, but in some ways it made the commemoration and dedication even more poignant. For me it was also very personal, as I was joined by my team that day as we wrapped up one of the greatest assignments of my life. I insisted that my Deputy Minister - the great Canadian and former Chief of Defence Staff Walt Natynczyk - lay the wreath at the memorial dedication with me. His dedication to our veterans and our country was an inspiration to me as Minister, so it was only fitting that we did this together.
One year after the loss of Nathan Cirillo, he brought our country together once again and this time it was at a very special moment in the history for our parliamentary democracy. On October 22, 2015, Canada was undergoing the peaceful transfer of power when the leaders from the heart of our democracy descended on its soul at the National War Memorial. Canadians were able to watch outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper lay a wreath alongside incoming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Weeks earlier, the two men were engaged in an epic national campaign against one another, but on that day, they came together to honour Nathan. It showed that our country can come together, and that even in death Nathan Cirillo continues to stand on guard for Canada.
My Blog from October 22, 2014 written from lockdown:
I am composing this blog from inside the Reading Room in Centre Block on Parliament Hill. This is the room where our government has its national caucus every Wednesday morning. We have been in lockdown in this room since tragedy struck Ottawa just after 10AM this morning. It is now almost 4PM and my mind is swirling with a mixture of anger, sadness and discomfort so I hope writing this will help me process this sad day in the capital.
Canada’s heart and soul were struck this morning in a vicious attack. Parliament represents the heart of Canada’s parliamentary democracy and our strong democratic institutions are something Canadians deeply value despite the apparent frustrations with day to day political discourse. If Parliament is the heart of our democracy the National War Memorial represents Canada’s soul. The freedoms and values that form the foundation of our country were secured and defended by generations of Canadians. The National War Memorial is a somber tribute to the tens of thousands of Canadians who died defending these values and freedoms and our willingness to fight to secure them for others. Our heart and soul are located a few hundred metres from each other in Ottawa and they were attacked today by someone that does not share our values.
The deepest loss today is not the shattered innocence of a national capital, but the loss of a young Canadian who embodies Canada’s heart and soul. A Canadian soldier was shot and killed as he stood as an honour guard at the site for Canada’s fallen. This young reserve soldier volunteered to serve his country and was attacked only because of this desire to serve. He was not attacked because of who he was, but because of the values his Canadian Armed Forces uniform represents. My heart goes out to his family, friends and to his unit. Our guard of honour for the fallen sadly joins those he was honouring.
My staff is fine but obviously shaken by these incidents as are many Canadians. I was steps away from where this occurred and the echoes of the shots and events afterward are something that will remain with me. I am thankful to the heroic actions of law enforcement on the Hill today. Their actions remind me of the words of the Governor General earlier this week before he presented Medals of Bravery to several Canadians (including a Courtice resident). Bravery is seen in those who run the wrong way towards danger when others recoil and run away from it. Parliament Hill security, the RCMP and the House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms ran towards the danger today and prevented a terrible tragedy from getting much worse. We are indebted to them for such valour.
Today is not the day to try and decide what went wrong or what could have been done to prevent such acts of terror. We can and will learn from these incidents. Today is a day to offer prayers for the soldier we lost, give thanks to law enforcement who responded to danger and renew our commitment to the values they represent.