Yukon MP Ryan Leef and Senator Dan Lang are expressing their gratitude for the police and security personnel who put their own safety on the line Wednesday to protect Parliament.

At the same time, the two Yukon representatives in Ottawa are sending out condolences to the family of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. The 24-year-old was shot dead while guarding the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa.

There’s a resolve and confidence in Parliament among all political parties, Leef told the Star this morning from Ottawa.

Wednesday’s events have not deterred MPs and senators from getting back to work on Parliament Hill, he added.

Leef and Lang were among those locked down on Parliament Hill when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed the House of Commons corridor after killing Cirillo.

Zehaf-Bibeau was eventually shot and killed in a hail of gunfire after he stormed Parliament.

Along with the sense of resolve and congeniality among all political stripes today in Ottawa, Leef said too thoughts in the nation’s capital, and of course across the country, are with Cirillo’s family in Hamilton, Ont.

To kill a soldier guarding a place of honour for Canada’s heros is an offence against Canadian values, Leef said as he recalled his own experience of Wednesday in the House of Commons.

“It’s unbelievable somebody would do that to a fellow human being,” Lang said in an interview from Ottawa today.

He and other Conservative parliamentarians were in their national caucus meeting when they heard what Leef described as a “loud bang” he and others initially thought was related to the construction happening.

When he heard two more bangs, “that got my attention,” the MP said.

A former RCMP officer and conservation officer, Leef recognized the sound as gunshots.

Successive shots rang out from what Leef could hear were multiple firearms, moving through the hall closer to the caucus room.

“It was sort of surreal,” he said as he described the cavernous hall as a place where an echo is not uncommon.

For Leef, his mind immediately turned to an image of multiple shooters, given the shouting voices that could be heard, the sounds of different firearms moving quickly outside the hall and the current vigilance there is to terror threats.

“It was close, it was loud and it was rapid,” he said of the gunshots.

As Lang described: “It could not have been closer.”

Leef is not the only Conservative parliamentarian to have a law enforcement or military background.

In a matter of seconds, those with that training worked together to secure the room, ensuring no one was leaving while parliamentary security also made sure it was secure from the outside.

“It moved quick; it was literally seconds,” Leef said of the time it took between hearing the shots being fired and moving to secure the room.

“There was remarkable calm and order.”

One security officer, he noted, remained on-guard outside the room, putting his own life at risk to protect those inside.

That’s just one example of the work the security and police forces performed.

While the caucus room for the Conservatives was secured, thoughts in the room turned to what may be happening across the hall in the NDP caucus room, where NDP MPs would have been having a similar meeting at the time.

Leef noted there was concern for their NDP colleagues, hoping none of them had been in the hall or outside their caucus room when the gunshots were fired.

“It was a scary thought,” he said.

Though in lock-down mode, MPs were able to get information from news broadcasts.

They soon learned of the soldier’s death and the ongoing situation unfolding just outside their door.

“These things were very, very sobering,” Leef said. He again pointed out the unarmed Cirillo died for his country at a time and place where he shouldn’t have had to make that sacrifice.

“There were a lot of quiet moments,” the MP recalled of Wednesday, noting the patience of his colleagues as police and security ensured “there was no stone left unturned” and that it was safe to leave at around 8:30 p.m. Ottawa time.

A number of other commercial businesses, schools and the like in downtown Ottawa were also in lock-down mode through much of the day.

Both Leef and Lang, again, praised the work of police and security crews for their thoroughness, efficiency and bravery throughout the day.

Lang, who chairs the national committee on security and defence, noted the attack came just two days after two Canadian soldiers (one who died) were run over south of Montreal by a now-deceased suspect who was being monitored for potential terrorist activities.

Zehaf-Bibeau was known to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, but was not considered a high-priority case, the Toronto Star reported today.

Lang suggested the two incidents are not separate, adding “the reality has come home to us all.”

He added that while yesterday’s violence was a first for Canada, the threat of terrorism is not new.

There have been a number of situations averted, and Canada is not the only country dealing with this.

“We’re not isolated,” he said.

Leef too noted the “changing times” for the country and the work that has to continue in ensuring the security of the country while also protecting Canadian liberties.

“There’s a discussion of balance that lies ahead,” he said.

See commentary and letter, related coverage in today’s Nation section.