Security will be significantly increased in Ottawa for what could be one of the largest crowds ever at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the nation’s capital.
The Royal Canadian Legion estimates that some 80,000 people will attend Tuesday’s commemoration at the National War Memorial, where Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down less than three weeks ago as he stood guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
In the wake of the attack on Cirillo and Parliament Hill, security will be tight throughout Ottawa on Remembrance Day.
Heavily armed Ottawa police officers are already patrolling the National War Memorial. Dozens of officers in uniform – and many more of them undetectable to the public – will be monitoring the crowds on Tuesday.
“We will have more officers at the ceremony, and we will be more visible,” said Ottawa Police spokesperson Marc Soucy. “We will have our eyes out every which way we can.”
Police said they won’t be setting up security checkpoints around the ceremony, but officers will be conducting so-called “behavioral screenings” and looking for anyone who may be acting suspiciously.
Bruce Poulin of the Royal Canadian Legion said that, based on the organizers’ conversations with Ottawa Police and the RCMP, an estimated 80,000 people will attend the Remembrance Day ceremony.
That would be the largest crowd at the National War Memorial since it opened in 1939.
Extra security is also needed to guard Princess Anne, who is visiting Ottawa as part of her royal tour and will be at the ceremony.
With reports from CTV’s Katie Simpson and CTV Ottawa
