Canada鈥檚 military forces are trying to determine when to resume posting soldiers at Canada鈥檚 National War Memorial in Ottawa, the chief of defence staff said Thursday, a day after the fatal shooting of a young reservist.
Gen. Tom Lawson said the military is working with other security agencies in Ottawa and beyond to determine when the ceremonial guard program may resume.
The stationing of soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been taking place for seven years.
The program had been extended to Nov. 10 this year, in order to mark various milestone anniversaries, including the 100th anniversary of many First World War events.
That abruptly ended after Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was shot to death Wednesday morning as he stood guard at the war memorial near Parliament Hill.
鈥淭he interruption will only be as long as we think is necessary to ensure the security of our members,鈥� Lawson told reporters.
鈥淎re we able to maintain a proper level of security of our soldiers and could we continue to carry this out and that鈥檚 under assessment,鈥� he later added.
Soldiers in Canada are also being asked to stay out of uniform in public, and military bases across the country are stepping up security after a pair of brazen attacks against uniformed soldiers this week left two dead in Quebec and Ottawa.
Lawson said on Thursday that soldiers may now travel to and from work in uniform, but are still under orders to minimize 鈥渦nnecessary exposure鈥� in public.
鈥淲e will continue to consult with our security partners to adapt our force protection measures as required, but let me be clear: We will not hide,鈥� Lawson said. 鈥淲e will not be deterred nor intimidated from our duties.鈥�
A day after the deadly shooting in the nation鈥檚 capital, retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie says more must be done to keep soldiers from becoming targets.
that it's not enough to ask soldiers to stay out of uniform 鈥� they must be ordered to do so.
"You don't request a soldier to do anything," MacKenzie said. "You send out an order, and the order is, don't wear your uniform."
MacKenzie says he understands Canadian soldiers are "pissed off" by the attacks, and want to wear their uniforms out of pride, but doing so in public can make them targets.
"Until it's absolutely confirmed that there aren't a couple of copycats running around with weird ideas, best to keep a low profile," MacKenzie said. "The leadership has to say, 'Do we really want people wandering around with targets on their back, wearing their uniforms?'"
Military expert Robert Huebert argues the attacks may not be aiming at the military so much as Canadian ideology.
"What we're seeing is that these individuals are trying to target those symbols that represent Canada, and what Canada stands for," Huebert told CTV Calgary.
Former serviceman Maurice Lowe told CTV Edmonton he would be scared to serve in uniform right now.
"Obviously there's an undercurrent, or an element in the country that is showing disrespect to people that have put their lives literally on the line for our freedoms," Lowe said Wednesday.
The Canadian Forces are taking other measures to protect their troops, beyond the uniform request.
Military bases across the country have tightened their security protocols and posted armed guards at their gates to protect against other possible attacks.
"We remain vigilant," Capt. Donna Riguidel, spokesperson for CFB Edmonton, said on Wednesday.
"Everybody's just shocked and stunned, processing what's going on. As Canadians, this is not something that is natural to us."
Concern was heightened Monday, when Martin Couture-Rouleau drove his car into two uniformed soldiers in a St. Jean Sur Richelieu, Que. parking lot. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, 53, was killed in the attack. Couture-Rouleau fled police and was later shot and killed after his car ran off the road.
Then on Wednesday, a gunman shot and killed Cirillo as he stood guard at Ottawa's National War Memorial near Parliament Hill. The gunman then ran to the Parliament buildings where he made his way inside and was ultimately shot dead by security forces. He has since been identified as Michael Joseph Zehaf-Bibeau, of Quebec.
Prior to the attacks, both Couture-Rouleau and Zehaf-Bibeau were being monitored by security officials. They were on a list of about 90 individuals believed to be at risk of radicalization.
The attack on Parliament Hill came on the same day Canada's CF-18 fighter jets left CFB Cold Lake to join the U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq. The fighter pilots' names will be kept secret to protect their families from possible reprisals here in Canada.
"We are implementing additional domestic force protection measures," a spokesperson for CFB Cold Lake told CTV Edmonton.
With files from CTV Ottawa, CTV Calgary and CTV Edmonton
