Belleville Synagogue Shooting: What MP Malette Told the Commons
Liberal MP Chris Malette told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the people of Bay of Quinte are angry, confused and hurt after Sunday night's shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont.
He spoke ahead of Question Period, the daily time when MPs question ministers in the chamber.
Malette represents Bay of Quinte, the electoral district that includes Belleville. He said his thoughts are with the Jewish community, the wounded police officer and all those affected. He described the shooting as a near tragedy at the synagogue. He lives two blocks away. The Globe and Mail
Members of Belleville's Jewish community were inside for Yom Kippur services when the shooting occurred outside. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a day of prayer and fasting. That detail is noted in the House record for the September 21 sitting, Hansard No. 140 in the 45th Parliament, 1st Session. Hansard is the official written record of what is said in the Commons. House Hansard
Police have identified the assailant as 29-year-old Sean Ward. Investigators say he was armed with a shotgun and opened fire on an officer outside the synagogue. CBC Ward allegedly first shot at Const. Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the building, then at a second officer who arrived on scene.
Const. Smith was wounded and remains in hospital. Ward died in hospital, according to Ontario's Special Investigations Unit. The SIU is the provincial agency that investigates when police action results in death or serious injury.
The SIU said 20 to 30 shots were fired in the exchange between the suspected gunman and the two officers. CBC SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said Ward's post-mortem, the medical exam to confirm cause of death, was scheduled for Wednesday in Kingston.
In the Commons, Malette offered his best wishes to Const. Smith and the officer's family. He told Jewish families across Bay of Quinte and members of the Congregation of Sons of Jacob that they deserve to "gather, worship and live openly without fear." He said there is "no place for hatred or antisemitism in Belleville or across Canada."
Malette has said he was shocked and appalled by the violence at the Sons of Jacob. He said he is in ongoing contact with several arms of the federal government after alerting them to the shooting. Belleville Intelligencer He has also said synagogue members were worried about security and safety before the September shooting. The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday, citing sources, that Ward spent five years in the Canadian Army but was released because he was deemed unsuitable for further service.
The broader context here is about jurisdiction, or which level of government is responsible for what. The criminal investigation and the SIU review sit with Ontario. Ottawa controls the Criminal Code, the laws against hate propaganda and federal funding for security at places of worship. In cases like this a local MP often acts as a link between the community, municipal police and federal departments. Malette's statement put the local impact on the parliamentary record while the facts are still being established.
