In the aftermath of Wednesday鈥檚 shootings in Ottawa and Monday鈥檚 attack in Quebec, security will be tightened at the Parliament buildings, the sa国际传媒 legislature and other public places. Events make those and other measures necessary, but let鈥檚 ensure freedom isn鈥檛 sacrificed in the name of security.
In the chaos that followed the gunfire on Parliament Hill, people were confined in locked-down buildings and squads of heavily armed police officers swarmed the area, pushing people back with the warning that their lives were at risk. Across the country, security was increased at legislatures and other government buildings. Military personnel were put on alert; some were told not to wear their uniforms in public.
From the perspective of hindsight, it could be said that all of the fuss was over-reaction. After all, contrary to early rumours, there was only one gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, and he was killed by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers soon after he shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial and dashed into the Centre Block. The incident wasn鈥檛 part of a widespread attack. It wasn鈥檛 connected to the hit-and-run attack in Quebec two days before that injured two soldiers, one of them fatally.
But there鈥檚 no such thing as over-reacting to such an incident. Until all the facts are in, you assume the worst and act accordingly.
Unnecessary force? There鈥檚 no such thing when there are so many unknowns. What was done was exactly what should have been done.
What to do now is the issue. To be sure, parliamentary security measures need to be reviewed and likely tightened, but we don鈥檛 need a wall around Parliament Hill. The country needs to be more alert to the threat of homegrown terrorism, but we should not arrest everyone whose ideas differ from the norm. The threat in sa国际传媒 is not from Islam, but from angry, irrational people who are looking for a way to strike out and who use Islam as an excuse.
The dangers should be carefully assessed, and the precautions should fit the dangers. Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May said it well Wednesday: 鈥淭oday is not a day that 鈥榗hanges everything.鈥� It is a day of tragedy. We must ensure we keep our responses proportionate to whatever threat remains.鈥�
Freedom, by its very nature, involves risk. Those risks should be constantly assessed and safeguards strengthened appropriately 鈥� for public safety, not for political gain or ideological purposes. The attacks are reason to improve security, not an excuse to bring in heavy-handed restrictions.
Maintaining freedom involves guarding against those who attack it from without and those who would erode it from within. Let鈥檚 make sure we have the right balance.
