Canadians mark three years since Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was killed

Canadians adorned the tomb of the unknown soldier with flowers and tributes in honour of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. 

Throughout the day, Canadians came to the National War Memorial to place flowers and Canadian flags to mark three years since a gunman opened fire and killed 24-year-old Nathan Cirillo, a sentry standing guard at the cenotaph, before storming Parliament Hill.

"You should never have to die in your own country, serving your own country as a military person," said John Senechal, who laid flowers Sunday. "He died protecting my freedom." 

That day is still fresh in Barbara Winters' mind. She was heading to work on October 22nd, 2014 when she heard the shots and ran to Cpl. Cirillo's aid. She and five other civilians, stayed by his side and helped until emergency responders arrived. 

"It's a day that meant a lot to all Canadians and it certainly meant a lot for me," Winters said. 

Winters said she goes to the monument every October 22nd to mark the day. She said the growing tribute made her proud. 

"It's an emotional day for me anyway, as it is for the six of us that went to help Nathan, and I was extremely proud to see that people had not forgotten that day and all that it represented," she added.

In Guelph, near Cpl. Cirillo's hometown of Hamilton, veterans and bikers gathered in his memory and to push the government to create an annual ceremony in Ottawa. 

"We would like it to get to Ottawa, said Maurice Ferris, a veteran. "Ottawa is the capital and Ottawa should honour our fallen solider." 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement Sunday saying he joins Canadians in paying tribute to the sacrifices made by Cpl. Cirillo and to Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, two days earlier. 

"These attacks were intended to instill fear and divide Canadians. Instead, they only served to unite us. We emerged stronger than before, showing the world that our most cherished values – freedom, democracy, diversity, and inclusion – will always triumph over fear and hatred," he said in a statement.