MP recounts shots being fired right outside the room

Watch above: Saskatoon MP Brad Trost recalls Ottawa shooting

OTTAWA – Saskatoon Humboldt MP Brad Trost was in the Conservative caucus meeting in Parliament on Wednesday when the shooting started. Trost told Global News that it was hard to believe shots were being fired right outside the room they were in.

“We were just sitting listening to the prime minister when all of a sudden we heard this boom boom boom boom going off,” said Trost. “It took us a second to realize what was happening.”

“The first thing was disbelief – I hunt deer, I’m a typical Saskatchewan farm boy, so I know what gunshots sound like, and it was – this can’t be happening … then a few seconds later we tried to figure out what to do, so there was 10 to 15 seconds of confusion,” said Trost.

“I don’t think there was too much panic in the room. Most of the MP’s were very calm, a few were excited, but within a few seconds, with our ex-police officers we have as MP’s we were figuring out what to do,” added Trost.

FULL COVERAGE: Ottawa Shooting

That’s when MP’s started barricading the doors into the caucus room.

He said it’s important for Canadians to recognize the importance of the emergency personnel who responded to the tragedy.

“Take time today to say thank you to them and say a prayer for the family of the young corporal from Hamilton,” said Trost. “They did wonderfully yesterday – our service personnel.”

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And, he said, the attack is making everyone re-think security, not only at Parliament, but across the country.

“We know we are in a target environment,” said Trost, adding MP’s have discussed it among themselves.

“We’ve talked about it, but I don’t know that it had ever gotten real. Yesterday, when those shots were going off in the next room, we didn’t know if it was our guys or the bad guys that were shooting, we just knew there was shooting, and at that moment it was so real – it was no longer hypothetical.”

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Trost believes the country needs to have another look at how to protect public buildings.

“We don’t want to change,” he said. “The government’s going to operating today, the House Of Commons – Canada will continue as it has before – we are not changing what we do,” said Trost.

“But we need to have a sober, proper discussion on how to protect our public places, so we don’t put anyone in the line of fire who absolutely doesn’t have to be.”