Man charged with trespassing after trying to force his way into the House of Commons

Members of the public are no longer allowed to use the O'Connor staircase to West Block when the House of Commons is sitting. A man was charged with trespassing after climbing the stairs and attempting to force his way into the House of Commons.  (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press - image credit)
Members of the public are no longer allowed to use the O'Connor staircase to West Block when the House of Commons is sitting. A man was charged with trespassing after climbing the stairs and attempting to force his way into the House of Commons. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press - image credit)

A man has been charged with trespassing by Ottawa Police after attempting to force his way into the House of Commons on the 10th anniversary of the Parliament Hill shooting.

According to a police statement, a man in his 60s was detained by the Parliamentary Protection Service (PPS) at around 11 a.m. ET Tuesday morning and was later charged under the Trespass to Property Act for failing to leave.

In a video posted on Facebook, a man identifying himself as Brian Kidder is shown filming himself approaching the south doors of the West Block and ignoring PPS demands to present proper identification.

Uniformed PPS members follow the man as he approaches the doors and tries to push past two PPS members, who physically block him from entering.

The man says he does not have a pass, but claims he has a "special invite" to be there.

A statement from the PPS says the man "attempted to enter an entry point reserved to access cardholders. A trespass notice was issued to the individual in question."

The PPS is not a police force and does not have the power to arrest or charge people, but it can detain people on Parliament Hill deemed a security risk before handing them over to the Ottawa Police Service.

The PPS is responsible for security throughout the Parliamentary Precinct.

A video posted online shows the man with his arms restrained behind his back as a PPS member fills out a citation.

"The situation appears to have been an isolated incident and there is no threat to the Parliamentary Precinct," the PPS statement said.