Terrorist Attacks on Canadian Soldiers, Government
Canadian soldiers have been targeted in two separate attacks this week. Two of the three soldiers involved are now dead at the hands of homegrown terrorists. It makes me wonder, are our own service members safe on Canadian soil?
The first attack was a hit and run in the province of Quebec where the terrorist, an Islamist militant of French Canadian origins, lay in wait for his victims outside an office for injured veterans. One of the soldiers was in uniform, and when terrorist Martin Rouleau called 911 at the time of the attack, he said he was, “acting in the name of Allah.”
Earlier today, a soldier near Parliament Hill was shot dead while guarding the National War Memorial, a monument dedicated to Canada's fallen servicemen and women. Apparently several others were shot by a gunman who then entered Parliament and opened fire. Parts of Canada's capital city are now on lockdown.
Both these terrorists were killed by police, but I have to wonder if they were related and if there will be more attacks on our military or our government. The timing of the attacks, leading up to Remembrance Day, seems significant. And the locations do too.
The hit and run took place in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a city known for its French-language military college. St-Jean has also long been associated with the basic training of military personnel from across Canada. My own mother, who enlisted in the RCAF in Alberta, was sent to Quebec to do her basic training at St-Jean decades ago.
The fact that one attack happened outside a Veteran Affairs facility and the other at a war monument, indicates disdain not only for active service personnel, but also for our country's veterans and war dead. As I said, the level of disrespect, especially as we are just gearing up for this year's Poppy Campaign, leaves me rather shaken.
I don't want to give voice to my fears. I pray that the RCMP and CSIS will be able to figure out what's going on, and put a stop to the terrorism before anyone else is hurt.
| Canada | Terrorism | Military | Veterans | Poppy | Remembrance | Islamist |
Image credit: Two sergeants – my father the veteran, and my daughter the army cadet; © Kyla Matton Osborne
Sources:
“ Soldier, gunman dead after Ottawa attack; Parliament Hill under lockdown ” (CTV)
Allan Woods, “ Canadian soldier killed in suspected terror attack identified ” (The Star)
Image Credit » Kyla Matton Osborne
Comments
momathome wrote on October 22, 2014, 4:26 PM
That is so said to hear, especially for the families of the fallen. These men and woman have already given their service to their country and now they are even giving their lives on their home soil. It's a disgusting and despicable contortion of religion, while now it is mainly those who are perverting Islam to spread hatred, our world's history is plagued by people who have perverted religions/beliefs to promote violence and hate towards others.
Isabella wrote on October 22, 2014, 4:47 PM
I was following the breaking news this morning. I couldn't believe it was happening in Canada, looked right out of a movie,only true, very true! My heart goes out to the families involved, and all the people where the drama unfolded.
Donna_Thacker wrote on October 22, 2014, 5:10 PM
I hadn't heard about this, but now a days I don't watch much news just because of all of the things that are happening. All of the shootings, rioting and killings is just so sad and very upsetting. What is wrong with all of these people?
Feisty56 wrote on October 22, 2014, 7:11 PM
It is awful enough when terrorists from other nations invade our countries and do their dirty work. It is so strange when our own countrymen (and women) act on behalf of a foreign terrorist organization right in their own backyards. I'm sorry that this has happened. Like you, I hope the Canadian powers are soon able to put an end to it.
LeaPea2417 wrote on October 22, 2014, 7:29 PM
I am sorry this happened to your country. May the terrorists be brought to justice quickly. It is such a shame for them to be so violent.
Ellis wrote on October 22, 2014, 8:31 PM
These people are a cancer and need wiping off the face of the Earth. Thoughts are with the soldiers family.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 22, 2014, 9:31 PM
Much agreed. I doubt Allah wants what's happening, any more than you or I do.
paigea wrote on October 22, 2014, 9:34 PM
Such a sad event. My thoughts are with those soldiers family.
momathome wrote on October 22, 2014, 10:04 PM
&Ruby 3881 He doesn't-- it's a perversion of the Koran and its teachings, just as burning witches was a perversion of the teachings of Jesus. It's men corrupting a religious text for their own desires.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 22, 2014, 11:00 PM
It's so crazy and so sad for the families of the men who have been killed. They've even placed cadets in lockdown for the next little bit, just to be safe. Our kids had parade night tonight but were told to go home for safety reasons.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 22, 2014, 11:01 PM
There are some 90 people who are being monitored by our intelligence community because they may be terrorists. The man who committed the hit and run was confirmed to be on that list. It's scary...
Ruby3881 wrote on October 22, 2014, 11:03 PM
Very much agreed. I haven't studied the Qu'ran, but I believe that at its heart Islam is a religion of peace and respect.
momathome wrote on October 22, 2014, 11:34 PM
Ruby3881 I haven't either but I know some people who have and that is exactly what it teaches according to them. Unfortunately some people have twisted it and so many others blame everyone who practices, which is so very wrong on so many levels.
BarbRad wrote on October 23, 2014, 2:13 AM
My heart, too, goes out to these families. I fear this is only the beginning if our governments do work together to both recognize the danger and defeat it. If we ignore the problem it will only grow worse. The first job of the government is to defend its citizens. It seems our western governments have not made this their highest priority.
AliCanary wrote on October 23, 2014, 5:26 PM
Terrorist attacks make you feel awful--shaken and violated and grief-stricken. I didn't lose anyone personally on 9/11, but it was still a horrible trauma that makes me cry to think about too much. Our hearts are with you.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 23, 2014, 8:09 PM
The military seems to be acting very quickly to protect our soldiers. They have also taken steps to protect cadets and their instructors, until we know more. At the moment, it would seem that being in uniform makes one a target :(
Ruby3881 wrote on October 23, 2014, 9:18 PM
Well, so far both the perpetrators have been killed by police during the incidents - which I'm assuming was part of their plan. What remains to be seen is whether there are more attacks to come. It feels very much like these were small attacks just to test the waters...
Ruby3881 wrote on October 23, 2014, 9:19 PM
The problem with wiping them off the face of the earth is finding all of them! The ones that perpetrated the attacks this week were killed during altercations with police. But they surely weren't acting alone.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 24, 2014, 2:10 PM
My heart goes out to them! I'm sure most military families would never expect there to be any danger on home soil. It makes these deaths all the more difficult to wrap our heads around....
Ruby3881 wrote on October 24, 2014, 2:14 PM
Well, I feel the response the military has taken so far to improve the safety of both our military personnel and the cadets and their instructors, shows that the threat is being taken seriously. Obviously, there's a lot going on behind the scenes that isn't reported in the media. But I do hope we're moving towards an intelligent way to address terrorism at home and where our troops are deployed abroad.
Ruby3881 wrote on October 24, 2014, 2:19 PM
I think "violation" is a good word to describe the impact of terrorism on the people left behind. I fear this is only the beginning, but perhaps these incidents will help us to work on things we've been ignoring for too long.
The fact that both these terrorists were French Canadians is really significant. Quebec isn't a likely place to be converting people to Islam, yet it is a place where there is open hostility towards both the Canadian government and the monarchy. There are a lot of wounds there, that still need healing....