Hero Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers fought back tears Thursday as he marched back into Canada’s House of Commons and received the thanks of a grateful nation.
Before bringing down a deranged gunman in the halls of Parliament on Wednesday, the 58-year-old Vickers was best known for his ceremonial gig of marching a massive gold mace into the House Commons before each session.
As Vickers carried the mace — a symbol of the queen of England’s authority over Canada — into the House of Commons on Thursday, lawmakers and government employees showered him with cheers and a standing ovation.
“I’d be very remiss if I did not conclude in acknowledging … the great work of our sergeant-at-arms,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House, before strolling over to Vickers to shake the hero’s hand.
Video has emerged of Vickers calmly walking the halls of Parliament on Wednesday, moments after he shot and killed gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, who had stormed the building just before 10 a.m.
Vickers appeared remarkably calm in the footage, walking away from the shooting scene carrying a silver-colored gun in his right hand.
The former Mountie tried to keep that same composure Thursday morning, but clearly struggled to contain his emotions.
Member of Parliament Thomas Mulcair, leader of the opposition New Democratic Party, said the country owes Vickers and his whole security team a huge debt of gratitude.
Victor leads a Senate page from the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in 2011.Reuters“The courage and the professionalism that they showed, faced with this brutality, shows the best about Canadians,” Mulcair said.
While Vickers’ position is often seen more for its symbolism, he does have the very real job of organizing and carrying out security plans for Canada’s lawmakers — which he did in heroic fashion on Wednesday.
Here's the full statement from Sgt.-at-arms Kevin Vickers on #OttawaShooting: #cdnpoli#ottnewspic.twitter.com/NP6t0BySPX
— Jordan Press (@jpress) October 23, 2014
MP Yvon Godin was about to speak to his caucus during its regular meeting when the gunman entered the building. Godin praised all of Parliament’s security officials, but still singled out Vickers.
“I could consider him as one of my friends,” Godin told the CBC on Thursday. “For that guy, the courage he has, is just unbelievable.”
