Officials at the Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Vancouver Island say they will not be asking their soldiers to avoid wearing their uniforms in public in light of a deadly shooting in the nation’s capital.
CFB Esquimalt Base Commander Captain Steve Waddell says the base was not on lockdown after a gunman shot and killed a Canadian soldier and stormed into Parliament Hill Wednesday morning.
The incident shut down many government and municipal buildings across the country, including the B.C. Legislature building in Victoria.
Waddell says they routinely review their force protection and security measures, but would not reveal any specifics.
While there have been serious discussions across Canada about whether soldiers in uniforms are targets, Waddell says no order has been handed down in B.C. asking soldiers to dress in civilian clothing as a safety precaution.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Esquimalt Barbara Desjardins says the proximity of the military base makes the community especially sensitive to the events that transpired in Ottawa today.
“We do not think that these things happen here, and the reality is that they can happen here, and we need to do what we can to be very vigilant about understanding that and taking care of our country,” says Desjardins.
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