Canada parliament to merge security forces after gunman attack
27 Nov 2014 12:53 AM GMT
Canada's two houses of Parliament will merge their security forces after an attack by a gunman last month, officials said on Tuesday, a move aimed at addressing long-standing communications problems.Four different services share responsibility for security on Parliament Hill and in 2012 the Auditor General - Canada's senior watchdog - urged the creation of a single force to eliminate confusion over jurisdictions.
The House of Commons and the Senate both have their own security forces, which will now be merged. 'On Wednesday's agreement on unification of the forces is a crucial step towards achieving the improvements required of an open and secure Parliament,' House of Commons speaker Andrew Scheer said. As well as the Senate and House of Commons security forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ottawa Police also both operate on and around Parliament Hill.
The House of Commons and the Senate both have their own security forces, which will now be merged. 'On Wednesday's agreement on unification of the forces is a crucial step towards achieving the improvements required of an open and secure Parliament,' House of Commons speaker Andrew Scheer said. As well as the Senate and House of Commons security forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ottawa Police also both operate on and around Parliament Hill.
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