Linked statement

“Two police officers stopped a gunman from killing people who were praying at a synagogue in Belleville. No one in Canada should need armed guards to go to their place of worship. Leaders need to take action against this growing hate before another attack happens.”

“Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, as Kol Nidrei began at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, a gunman arrived with a shotgun, explosives and a plan. Inside, about two dozen people had gathered to ask for forgiveness on the holiest night of the year. When the shots rang out, they pushed the tables together and lay on the floor, not knowing if the doors would hold. They held because of two constables, not policy: Jeff Smith was shot multiple times, and he kept fighting, and Michael McCurdy ran toward gunfire to stand beside him. Constable Smith just came home from the hospital. Because of them, those families are here with us in Ottawa today. They came to remind us that hatred does not happen to faceless strangers. It happens to neighbours in small cities, people who came only to pray. No one should need to arm guards to worship in Canada, and meeting the rising tide of extremism means acting before the next congregation hits the floor to listen. We will keep saying it until the last person with the power to act finally does.”