MP Daryl Kramp says Parliament can’t be intimidated

By Joseph Quigley and Morgan Davy

OTTAWA – Parliament can not be overcome by fear in the aftermath of the shootings in Ottawa says the MP for Prince Edward-Hastings, Daryl Kramp.

Kramp was in Parliament when the shootings occurred, and was kept inside for approximately 12 hours. Kramp said he was within earshot of the bullets firing inside Parliament.

“You don’t know, are the gunshots coming from the guards, or are they coming from a (single) or a number of attackers? And there was a significant number of gunshots so we honestly didn’t know. So you just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” said Kramp.

With Parliament back to work today, Kramp was asked about whether a day off would have been appreciated. In response, Kramp stressed the necessity of getting Parliament back quickly.

“What are the purposes of these terrorists? They’re meant to intimidate, sow fear and disruption and so there’s no way we could allow (a day off) to take place. I think it was imperative that we immediately went back to the work that people put us there for.”

Kramp asserted that Canada could not let terror take hold.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated by such dastardly acts,” said Kramp. “We just can’t, otherwise we regress into a society of fear, and we just can not allow that to happen.”

Kramp went into detail as to what members of Parliament would have to do in response to this attack going forward. He said that they would have to give law enforcement the means to combat these situations.

Kramp also said that Canada would have to work out a careful balance betweenfreedom and safety in how it responds to the shootings.