Michael Zehaf-Bibeau in a photo shot by a tourist in Ottawa. Photo: Supplied Everyone agrees that the violence of Oct. 22 — when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau murdered Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and was then himself killed — was the defining moment of the year in federal politics.
It scared the goodness out of everyone on the Hill, brought a sombre new tone to our national conversation and changed the way we see our leaders, both because it got us thinking about security and terrorism, and because it eventually opened another can of worms.
After Cirillo’s funeral, a NDP MP rattled by the violence told Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau about allegations of misconduct by two Liberal MPs, in impulsive decision she later came to regret. Trudeau ejected those MPs, setting off a painful period for both opposition parties.
The Conservatives, who are not dealing with any harassment incidents in public, were able to stay out of that ugly story, and they benefited politically from having voters think about war and security, issues where the prime minister’s stolidity contrasts positively with Justin Trudeau’s lighter approach.
The shooting heralded the end of Trudeau’s long honeymoon, bringing him down within polling range of Stephen Harper for the first time since he became leader of his party.
An Instagram photo of Cpl. Cirillo.
So there is a lot riding on whatever happened in that terrible hour on the morning of Oct 22.
It says something bad about the state of our democracy that we still know so little about what happened in its heart, that we can’t be certain how much we will ever know, and that we aren’t more bothered by that.
There are two videos that would answer a lot of questions, but they are secret.
The first video — or collection of videos — shows the last moments of Zehaf-Bibeau’s life, as he entered Centreblock, shot guard Samearn Son in the leg, and rushed down the Hall of Honour to fall in a hail of bullets by the door of the library.
We have been told that Kevin Vickers, the sergeant-at-arms, finished Zehaf-Bibeau’s rampage by heroically diving, James-Bond-style, to shoot him dead.
But we don‘t know where that story comes from. On the day of the shooting — when the world desperately needed a story — anonymous sources told TV journalists that that’s what happened. We later learned that the shooter had been shot several times by a number of people.
There may be security reasons to keep the videos secret, but we ought to keep in mind that there is likely a vigorous backroom power struggle going on between the RCMP, House of Commons and Senate security officials — presided over by the PMO.
The struggle will decide who will get the blame for what happened that day, who will get the credit for dispatching Zehaf-Bibeau, and who will control security on the Hill.
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
How is it that Zehaf-Bibeau, a mentally ill crack user, managed to get so close to the prime minister that Harper had to be hidden in a closet? Who put bullet holes in the door where the NDP caucus was meeting? Is this a story of heroism or incompetence?
The people who will decide whether we see the videos might prefer to give us the answers to those questions rather than letting us make up our own minds.
The second video is the one that Zehaf-Bibeau recorded to explain himself.
A week after the shooting, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson told reporters that he wanted Canadians to see it “as soon as possible.”
In December, he took that back, and said that he might not be able to ever release it because of the “intensity of the investigation,” whatever that means.
It’s possible that between October and December, Paulson’s political masters let him know that he should not release the video.
It suits the government to behave as if the RCMP is independent, but Paulson appears to be more like a deputy minister than a police chief.
And Harper wants to portray this attack as an example of why we must be led by him, not Trudeau or Tom Mulcair, who are too soft-headed or weak-willed to protect us from terrorists.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen walk away after leaving flowers on the perimeter of the National Memorial in Ottawa on Oct. 23, 2014. ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
From the beginning, Harper has presented this is part of a terrorist threat to us all. He has highlighted policies aimed at protecting us, including air strikes on Islamic State and greater power for our spies.
His continued residence at 24 Sussex may depend on convincing Canadians that only he can protect us.
In an end-of-year interview on Quebec’s TVA, Harper even said that Zehaf-Bibeau might not be a “lone wolf.”
“It’s true it was a sole attacker but it’s not necessarily the case it was just one guy.”
We ought to be skeptical of spin from vote-seeking politicians, and remember what we learned in the big story of 2013 — the Senate expense scandal — which is that senior officials in this government don’t mind twisting arms to manipulate audits and reports.
smaher@postmedia.com
@stphnmaher
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