Background Note for the Minister of Public Safety: Security Environment and Major Incidents

Security Environment

The Parliamentary Precinct is at the centre of our democracy. The Parliament Hill grounds are the setting for national celebrations, demonstrations and public ceremonies. According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, more than 1.5 million visitors enjoy the grounds every year. As a symbol of Canadian democracy, Parliament Hill and the broader Precinct requires security and protective measures to respond to potential threats and ensure that the buildings and grounds continue to be a safe, welcoming and meaningful place for Canadians and visitors.

[REDACTED] When considering security and protective measures, key tenets of any security system are deterrence, detection and reaction, which includes the ability of security forces to delay, deny and respond to attacks.

The Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre is responsible for assessing terrorism threats to Canada and Canadian interests worldwide, while also establishing the national threat level. [REDACTED]

The principal terrorist threat to Canada and Canadian interests continues to be that posed by individuals or groups who are inspired by violent ideologies and terrorist groups, such as Daesh or Al-Qaida. At the same time, Canada also continues to face threats from individuals inspired to commit violence based on other forms of extremism. The threat from Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVE) is constantly evolving, fuelled by extreme views around race, gender, power and authority. IMVE is a threat that thrives on division and exists in the online space, but the hateful online rhetoric associated with these views has the potential to inspire individuals to commit acts of violence.

Major Incidents in the Parliamentary Precinct

In the last decade, the RCMP was engaged in two major incidents in the NCR. First, on October 22, 2014, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau evaded security and entered the Hall of Honour with a rifle and a knife after fatally shooting Corporal Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial. Zehaf-Bibeau was a Canadian lone-wolf with a criminal past. At the time of the shooting, he was in Ottawa waiting for the processing of his Canadian passport application. His intention was to leave Canada to travel to the Middle East. Zehaf-Bibeau made a video prior to the attack whereby he expressed his desire to “kill some soldiers” in respect of his religious beliefs. The RCMP classified this national security incident as a terrorist attack under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Next, the recent Freedom Convoy in late January 2022 – February 2022, resulted in the proclamation of a public order emergency under the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022. In turn, Parliamentary Precinct Security service closed Parliament Hill on February 18, 2022.

Although most people participating in the Ottawa protest were motivated by a desire to end COVID-related mandates, the RCMP assessed that some ideologically motivated extremists were likely present and attempting to leverage the protest and its high profile for their own purpose. Some of these individuals posed possible threats to national security, and while no formal organized violent plot was identified during the protest in Ottawa, the potential for serious violence by a lone actor or fringe group was never discounted. [REDACTED]

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