Stephen Harper to get 24/7 protection as Canada's security debate begins

Security on Parliament Hill and in provincial legislative buildings across the country will never be the same following the attack in Ottawa on Wednesday, and the RCMP is already announcing that protective measures will be taken to safeguard the prime minister at all hours of the day.

The announcement of an armed detail for Stephen Harper comes as a debate about security at provincial legislatures and other official bodies only begins.

“We have adopted a condition where we will stay with the prime minister, as the prime minister’s protective detail 24/7 no matter where he is,” RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson announced Thursday afternoon while discussing the attack on Ottawa.

The confirmation of an enhanced security detail for Harper came at the end of an extensive press conference, during which officials detailed the chronology that led from Cpl. Nathan Cirillo’s death at the National War Memorial on Wednesday morning to the suspect’s death inside the Centre Block a short time later.

Paulson confirmed that Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers was part of a gunfight that ended in the death of suspect Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Vickers has received international acclaim for his role in the incident, and received a standing ovation in the House of Commons, Thursday morning.

“I understand that the suspect and Mr. Vickers were behind pillars and were exchanging fire. The suspect repositioned himself to get a better shot at Mr. Vickers when our officers engaged,” Paulson explained.

“Mr. Vickers did shoot, and I gotta say Mr. Vickers and his entire team are heroes, as are my officers, as are (Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau)’s officers. It was an unbelievable response.”

Few other details of the shooting were released. But reports following the standoff suggested that Vickers had retrieved his weapon from his office before engaging in gunfire. Even before the tension had eased on Wednesday, Vickers was being praised for his quick and decisive action.

As Canada’s federal representatives returned to the House of Commons on Thursday, Vickers received a powerful standing ovation. He was thanked personally, and embraced, by the leader of each major political party.

Before it was all over, more than 300 Members of Parliament lined up and each took a moment to personally thank Vickers for his service. Vickers wept lightly.

When the veteran RCMP officer finally offered a public comment on the incident, he was modest. He credited his team of security officials for a job well done.

His statement reads in part:

Friends and colleagues of Vickers told the Canadian Press they were not surprised he sprang into action.

"It’s so much in his character to take charge of something and do what has to be done," said Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, the former New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor to whom Vickers served as aide-de-camp for four years.

"He is fearless in the face of a challenge. It didn’t surprise me that he acted."

The question of armed security in Canada’s political centres is bound to be debated in the days and weeks to come. The campaign to tighten security at Parliament Hill is already underway. As is the counter campaign - those arguing that Canadian democracy relies on openness.

While provincial legislatures across the country increased security in the wake of the Ottawa attack. Some of those measures will fade with time, while others will remain.

“In a democratic society people expect access to democratic sites,” former public safety minister Stockwell Day told Yahoo Canada News on Wednesday. “Having said that, I think generally the public, especially now, are going to be more open to even heightened areas of security.”

In Ontario, discussion has turned to increasing security but there is no plan to arm officers. Interim PC Leader Jim Wilson, however, says the building doesn’t feel safe.

"You know if somebody comes running up the steps with a gun, these guys have a baton and a set of handcuffs," he said, according to CP. “I don’t mean being armed to the nines, but a nine millimetre around here wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

What happens next is still unclear. Attention is still focused on understanding what went wrong on Wednesday, but the focus will eventually turn to stopping it from happening again.

This much we do know. A man, trained, experienced and tasked with protecting Canada’s members of parliament did just that.

He’s getting the credit he deserves. And, Canada’s prime minister is getting the protection he needs.