Two former police chiefs fear an attack on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, similar to that in Oklahoma City in 1995, and call for vehicles to be permanently blocked from accessing the area to ensure security.
This was stated by Senator Vernon White, former Chief of Police of Ottawa, in parliamentary committee this morning, supported by former Chief of Police Peter Sloly who left his post in February in the wake of the occupation of the capital by the convoy of truckers.
The Oklahoma City bombing in the United States was a terrorist act by car bomb carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, two anti-government extremists close to white supremacy. The attack left 168 dead and 680 injured. It targeted one federal building, but destroyed 324 within a sixteen-block radius.
Following this attack, Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was permanently closed to traffic and many are calling for Wellington Street in front of Parliament to be closed as well. Senator White believes that the October 2014 shooting that killed two people on Parliament Hill should have already prompted the street to be closed.
Despite this, “we weren’t prepared,” Chief Sloly admitted when the convoy of truckers arrived, indicating he had never seen protesters so motivated, funded and knowledgeable about the police.
Wellington Street has remained closed to traffic since the end of the occupation, but its future remains uncertain. Six different security services ensure the safety of the sector.
The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs is studying the expansion of federal jurisdiction over the operational security of the Parliamentary Precinct. The parliamentarians are responding to a request from city councilors in downtown Ottawa who want the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and parliamentary security services to provide full security on Parliament Hill.
