Palliser MP Ray Boughen was mere feet away from gunfire in the House Of Commons

Tragic events in our nation's capital reverberated here in Moose Jaw.  And our reaction to the terrorist attack on Parliament Hill is our Number Five Story Of The Year in 2014.

On October 22nd, just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run down by a Quebec man and his vehicle, killing one of the soldiers, 24-year old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was ambushed, shot and killed while standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

The gunman, 25-year old Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, then entered the House Of Commons before being killed by Seargent-At-Arms Kevin Vickers. 

Palliser Member Of Parliament, Moose Jaw's Ray Boughen, was uncomfortably close to the action. 

Boughen was in a caucus meeting right next to the hallway where the gunman exchange fire with security personnel, and spoke to us a day after the incident.

"Our national caucus goes at 9:30 as a rule, so we had just started that when we heard the noise of gunfire," Boughen explained. "We were just off the Great Hall, our caucus room, so it was pretty loud and we decided we should barricade the doors. So we pushed the tables up against the doors. The gunfire kind of continued, and then it quit. Our Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers came in and announced that we had been under attack. To the best of his knowledge it was a lone gunman, and he had shot him. Killed him."

Boughen and the other MP's were under lock down for most of the day as RCMP and security team swept the building just in case the man was not working alone. Police confirmed that Bibeau was the lone suspect.

"The security has been pretty intense. The difficulties they have as a force is they're not issued any weapons," said Boughen. "They don't have guns or rifles or anything else. I think the whole security question is going to have a review."

Sergeant-at-Arms Vickers is one of the few people inside the House with a side arm and is being credited with taking down the suspect while facing gunfire. He was given an overwhelming round of applause the next morning that lasted several minutes the House gathered for Question Period with many politicians shouting praise from their seats for his bravery.

Following the shooting, Moose Jaw mayor Deb Higgins summed up the feelings of many. "Very hard to believe," Higgins said.  "I was one of those people that felt we were quite secure here in Canada.  I didn't actually ever think it (terrorist attack) would happen here."

Almost immediately, extra security measures were put into place at 15 Wing Moose Jaw and the Saskatchewan Dragoons and local reserve units suspended activity while the Department Of National Defence sorted through the investigation.  Just recently, 15 Wing security was returned to normal.