deadmonton 2006 - saskatchewan RCMP deaths - quotes
Following the deaths of Constable Bourdages and Cameron, tribute was paid to their sacrifice.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
"Today, on behalf of all Canadians, I wish to pay tribute to both Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron. They have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their fellow Canadians.
"Constable Bourdages and Constable Cameron have been members of our national force for five-and-a-half and five years respectively. Throughout their careers, both officers brought a level of professionalism, commitment and courage that was admired and respected by their colleagues, friends and the lives of other Canadians they touched.
"I express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and fellow colleagues of these brave officers who have been touched by this terrible tragedy. This is truly a sad day for all Canadians.
"This tragic event is a sad reminder of the sacrifice and bravery of the men and women who serve in our national police force and all those who dedicate their lives to protecting our country and our communities, often working under extreme circumstances, and in conditions of great danger.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones in this, their time of need."
Assistant RCMP Commissioner Darrell McFadyen, commanding officer for the RCMP in Saskatchewan
"It's with immense sadness that I want to confirm for you what was earlier reported, and that's the death of two members of the RCMP.
Const. Marc Bourdages and Const. Robin Cameron passed away overnight in hospital. Robin died at approximately 11 p.m. last night and Marc about two hours later. Both succumbed to severe head injuries they had sustained in a shooting incident on July near Mildred, Sask.
Despite all of the excellent care that was provided to them, they were unable to recover. Both have been surrounded by their families for the past week at the hospital.
Both of these members were young and popular. Marc, just 26 years old, was married to a fellow RCMP officer in Spiritwood, the father of a young, nine-month-old child. His wife and parents, his extended family and the community of Saint-Eustache in Quebec are all mourning his loss.
Robin, just 29 years old, is from the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nations in Saskatchewan. She's the single mother of 11-year-old daughter. And she's from a community that's extremely proud of her and will miss her very much, as will her parents and extended family.
Both Robin and Marc wanted to make a difference. They wanted to keep communities safe and they did their job with pride.
When any police officer dies in the line of duty, it's a blow to us all. It's a tragedy for their families and their colleagues in the RCMP, the community of police officers at large and the entire country.
We all feel this lost intensely. There will be regimental funerals and those arrangements are underway. We will advise of those arrangements in due course.
The RCMP has received numerous messages from across the country from people offering thoughts and prayers for our two members. We are truly thankful for the kind words and thoughts and not only for the families but for our members on the streets as well.
We are all tremendously saddened by today's news. Marc and Robin were both dedicated and much-loved members of the RCMP. We grieve with the Bourdages and the Cameron families and pledge our support to them at this difficult time. The sacrifices which Robin and Marc have made in the line of duty will never be forgotten. It's something which we will honour on behalf of all Canadians."
Const. Natasha Szpakowski, a member of the RCMP's Spiritwood detachment and the widow of Const. Marc Bourdages
"At this time I would just like to make a few comments regarding the wonderful care that my husband Marc received at the Royal University Hospital. Right from the time that we arrived at the hospital until his extended stay in the extended care unit, (it) was comforting. Everyone was compassionate and professional, and I truly believe he received the best care possible.
I would like to thank everyone for the messages that we have received from across Canada, on behalf of myself, our son, the Bourdages family. We have had family and friends fly in from British Columbia, all over Alberta, all over Saskatchewan and from Quebec. Their love and support and the messages that we have received from across Canada have helped us stay strong through this horrible week. But I believe that Marc is with us now in spirit and that he is in a better place where he can be peaceful.
The last thing of course that I very much want to communicate is that on behalf of myself, who is a co-worker of Const. Robin Cameron, that my husband Marc and she were colleagues as well as friends and that they enjoyed working together. It was no surprise to me that they were on shifts together that evening. On behalf of myself, our family and the Bourdages, we wish to extend our sympathies to the Cameron family for their loss of their daughter and of our friend."
Howard Cameron, father of slain RCMP Const. Robin Cameron
"Good morning. It's (with) a heavy heart, but as really proud parents that we stand before you to share a little bit regarding our daughter Robin, who made us as parents very proud, to be a member of this prestigious organization, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As a young girl, she wanted to join the RCMP. She had a few hurdles to cross, but she managed to overcome those hurdles and become a member.
As parents we supported her. We knew the risks, she knew the risks, but it never really played a part in her fulfilling her duties. Many stories that we've heard in the past week have only made us prouder of our daughter.
To the Bourdages family we extend our sincere sympathies. We try and take the good and then, with the bad, the sadness and (with) the loss of the two members our extended member has grown to the Bourdages family. We took Marc as our own and the parents, Natasha, (and the) little boy who brought a smile to our faces even in this tough time. To the Royal University Hospital for their professional care - you did the best that you could. And we acknowledge that and thank that. To the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for being there. It would have been really, really difficult to do this on our own, but they were there to help us, to ease our pain a little, to make us feel that we meant something, and that's so very, very important.
(Thanks) to our community of Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation, our extended families . . . we weren't alone once.
As parents the love that we have for our children is so great. As parents we went through the greatest fear of getting the knock on the door at an early hour, telling us that our daughter had been injured. And then the roller-coaster ride started. Going through all these emotions, these hopes, these aspirations. We prayed to not only ourselves but right across this great country of ours, great province of ours.
Many prayers were offered, not only one denomination - right across the board. We asked for that miracle for the members to survive. But it wasn't meant to be. But now I know that the prayers that have been said have been for Robin and for Marc to make the crossover - that other journey.
The short time that she'd been with us, she made our hearts so glad, made us so proud.
We have to heal. It's going to take a while. For Robin's brothers and sisters, they looked up to Robin. She was the leader of our family. What she said usually went.
But this hole that I have inside, you know, I have to take the good memories and put them in there for a half-hour at a time, five minutes at a time, maybe a day at a time. And find another one that's going to fill that void.
Now we prepare for the wake services that will happen in our community, and the burial. It's going to be very difficult. As a parent you always say well, we want to go ahead of our children. We don't want to bury our children first.
Both Robin and Marc wore that uniform with pride. The family had made a decision on Thursday to stop all medication. And Robin fought. We knew there was nothing wrong with her heart, but the wound to her head was so devastating that we knew that the doctors told us that the Robin we knew would never come back.
And having expressed her wants in the past that if anything ever happened to her, to where she became incapacitated to live the life (as) that young vibrant mother, that she didn't want to do that. So we honoured her wishes, even though it was so difficult for us as parents to make that decision, because of the love that we have for our children.
But we honoured her, and last night she took her final breaths with family around her. And now we will take her home. But I know that she'll never be forgotten.
Our prayers are with the members that are still out there. They're still at risk because the person who has done this to our children is still armed and considered dangerous. I have every confidence in the justice system and the family of the RCMP that they will get their man and that justice will be done.
And now we have to concentrate on healing and supporting one another. As communities we have to take something good from what has happened. It might take a while for us to find that good. But I want to find something good. I don't want to concentrate on the negative because it's going to affect me greater. The sooner that I find the good, the sooner I'm going to start healing. So I thank the RCMP, I thank the hospital, all the members out there who are hurting, I thank our extended families. Thank you."