Ottawa police are now guarding the ceremonial soldiers at the National War Memorial, watching over the sentries to prevent any repeat of last October's attack at the cenotaph.
The sentries returned Thursday to stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down six months ago.
Under a new $425,000 contract between the Department of National Defence and Ottawa Police, two paid, off-duty officers will watch over the guards for the entire sentry season, which runs until Nov. 10, the day before Remembrance Day.
Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre, the minister responsible for the capital region, attended a ceremony Thursday to open the annual sentry season. He said the government wanted to ensure the safety of the sentries.
"After the terrorist attack of Oct. 22, we learned that there are certain dangers to which our soldiers willingly subject themselves," he said.
"We are going to do everything in our power to limit those dangers and to protect the men and women who stand in defence of our national war monument. That is why our government has an arrangement with the Ottawa Police to do just that."
Two officers and a police vehicle will watch over the sentries the cenotaph, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Const. Jeff Eva-Gonzalez was one of the officers selected for the duty Thursday.
"It's an honour to be here, to be able to give back and to help out any way that I can. To me it's just a privilege and an honour to be a part of it," Eva-Gonzalez told CTV Ottawa.
In addition to two uniformed officers, crowd-control barriers have been placed around the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. The public will not have direct access to the sentries, but will be able to visit the Tomb.
In a statement, the Department of National Defence said the Canadian Armed Forces is committed to ensuring security for the sentries.
"We remain undeterred in paying tribute to this nation's fallen and continue, resolutely, to show dignity and respect for this important national site," it said.
