Life lessons from the Hero of Parliament Hill
McMaster alumni Douglas Wong (front row, second from left) and Melinda Munding (front row, second from right) met Parliament's sergeant-at-arms months before he would become a hero for shooting down the armed gunman who stormed Centre Block Oct. 22.
Kevin Vickers left an impression on Melinda Munding long before he became the Hero of Parliament Hill.
The sergeant-at-arms, charged with protecting Canada’s Parliament and its members, met with the political science alumna and other members of the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme earlier this year.
Munding blogged about the experience on behalf of the group – which included fellow alumnus Douglas Wong – and posted her thoughts on January 16, 2014.
The blog post is now attracting a great deal of attention, following reports that Vickers shot down the armed gunman who stormed Parliament’s Centre Block on Oct. 22.
“We walked into our meeting with Mr. Vickers armed with questions about security in Parliament, about the use of firearms and the role of plainclothes officers,” Munding wrote about the meeting with the former Mountie.” But we quickly realized that in comparison to the lessons Mr. Vickers had prepared for us, our questions held little meaning.”
Vickers was given a lengthy standing ovation as he carried the ceremonial mace into the House of Commons when Parliament resumed Oct. 23.
“Thank you for the reminder that we should never be afraid of who we are or fight for what is right in society,” Munding wrote. “We were lucky to meet you just as Ottawa is lucky to have you protecting it!”
The Ontario Legislature Internship Programme was established in 1975 and is administered by the Canadian Political Science Association and supported by a financial grand from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
