Canada’s Parliament buildings will remain “both open and secure,” House Speaker Andrew Scheer said, as public tours resume for the first time since last week’s shootings.
The Parliament Hill public galleries will also re-open on Monday, less than a week after a gunman shot and killed a soldier guarding the National War Memorial and then stormed Centre Block.
The grounds of Parliament Hill were re-opened to the public on Friday evening.
“Parliament will remain an institution that is both open and secure,” Scheer said in a statement.
“After consultation with security officials, an additional measure that has been taken is that RCMP presence will be maintained at entrances to buildings in the Parliamentary Precinct.”
Scheer has ordered a comprehensive review of Parliament’s security systems and procedures in the wake of Wednesday’s incident.
A gunman shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the memorial shortly before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, before proceeding to Parliament Hill. Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, stormed Centre Block, where he engaged in a gunfight with police and Parliament Hill security.
Officials said as many as 70 rounds were fired at the gunman, including some by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers.
Zehaf-Bibeau was pronounced dead at the scene.
Parliament Hill remained in lockdown for most of the day Wednesday as police scoured the buildings and followed leads that suggested there could be more than one shooter on the loose.
In the end, the RCMP said Zehaf-Bibeau acted alone.
In addition to the security review on the Hill, the RCMP have asked the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct an independent investigation into Wednesday’s events.
