There’s nothing unusual in seeing a cop standing around with a gun; after all, they carry them regularly. It’s a lot more unusual, at least in Penticton, to see an RCMP officer carrying an assault rifle at the ready, watching over the crowd outside the trade and convention centre on Remembrance Day.
That one image, though, sums up the changes society has gone through over the past few decades. It’s not that shootings and other attacks are unknown, but it seems they are becoming regular events for our southern neighbour, and are on the rise in Canada.
It used to be, you would only see heavily armed soldiers and police on the streets in countries dealing with civil wars, terrorists and the like. We were safe here in our modern North America, far removed from that kind of problem.
But now the problem has come home and we have to be aware of the possibility of a terror attack, whether it be driven by ideology or a personal grudge.
You can say an attack like that couldn’t happen here in Penticton, but as that RCMP officer pointed out, they probably said that in Moncton, in Fredericton, in Toronto, in Quebec City and far too many more places.
It’s sad too, that this kind of protection is needed on Remembrance Day, of all days. As Padre Ron Crooker reminded the crowd, Remembrance Day isn’t about celebrating war, but remembering the sacrifices of those who fought to bring peace to the world.
There is no easy solution we can offer to get society off this track, but we would like you to remember the next time someone complains about how little the RCMP do for us, that officer standing watch over our safety and the likelihood he would be one of the first targets.
