Police kill shooter and lose suspect in Ottawa — Canada’s 911?

by Denis G. Rancourt

I live in Canada’s capital city Ottawa, walking distance from where a Canadian soldier was murdered at the War Memorial on the morning of October 22, 2014.

The shooter, with the help of an accomplice and driver (according to authentic eye witnesses media-interviewed at the scene), then made his way into the particular parliament building (Centre Block) in which the Prime Minister was meeting his cabinet — where he was shot dead by police.

The entire Parliament Hill, City Hall, provincial courthouse, Rideau Centre shopping mall, University of Ottawa, and so on, went into “lock down” for the morning and most of the day. Car traffic dropped to almost zero, as folks were told to stay away from the downtown core.

This morning (October 23rd) the city police chief announced that there was “only one shooter” who had been killed, that there was no remaining threat to the public, and made no mention of the driver. The Mayor put things in perspective by pointing out that there have been a total of four murders in Ottawa this year. Ottawa’s population is approximately 1 million.

Canada has been at war in multiple countries for over a decade, in full support of the US-Israel war machine that regularly attacks civilian populations with aerial bombings and violent occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Gaza, …, as part of geopolitical terrorism aimed at overthrowing governments and controlling territory and resources.

Canada is a warring nation annexed to the US superpower. It is amazing that the Canadian public appears to generally accept the notion that this murder of a soldier in Canada is an act of “terrorism”. It is either an act of war, if it was directed by those being attacked by Canada, or it is a murder. It is not an act that can realistically intimidate a nation. Rather, it is being spun into “terrorism” to justify increased militarization and police-state policies.

The persons most likely to benefit from this murder are Prime Minister Harper and his political party, if the spin and public reaction work out to their benefit. The military-surveillance establishment and those committed to sycophantism towards the US are the other clear beneficiaries of this murder. Those attacked by Canada will derive no benefit whatsoever from the killing of the soldier, to the contrary, and no external group has claimed responsibility.

The last time there was a “terrorism” attack in Ottawa it was the 2010 arson of the entrance of an empty bank, in relation to G20 held in Toronto. The video of the attack showed three criminals (including the videographer) but only two persons were charged, and only one person was prosecuted and found guilty and jailed.

It turned out that the condemned arsonist had for years been closely followed and accompanied by a police infiltrator who was never cross-examined, and who disappeared from Ottawa.

Now, we have a similar scene. Who is the driver? Who is behind the premeditated murder and attack on Centre Block? We can dream that a thorough police investigation of the homicide will be made and made public, but without a live suspect there will not ever be a trial.

Days prior to the October 22 murder, a former soldier struck two soldiers with his car in a parking lot (in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec), and killed one of them. The driver was chased. His car overturned in a ditch. When he emerged he was shot dead by two police officers, alleging he had a “large knife”. The only suspect was shot dead rather than apprehended. Harper mused in Parliament that the hit-and-run was a “terrorist” attack. There won’t be a trial.

Understanding domestic crimes and informing the public appears to be the last concern. Justifying Canada’s militarization and its wars is high on the agenda.

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Denis G. Rancourt

Denis G. Rancourt was a tenured and full professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He was trained as a physicist and practiced physics, Earth sciences, and environmental science, areas in which he was funded by a national agency and ran an internationally recognized laboratory.

He published over 100 articles in leading scientific journals. He developed popular activism courses and was an outspoken critic of the university administration and a defender of Palestinian rights.

He was fired for his dissidence in 2009 by a president who is a staunch supporter of Israeli policy. He is the author of the 2013 book “Hierarchy and Free Expression in the Fight Against Racism”.