Only hours after the funeral for EPS Constables' Travis JORDAN and Brett RYAN, another Canadian police officer was murdered. Police were effecting an arrest in Louiseville, west of Trois Rivieres, on March 27th, when the arrestee resisted and stabbed one officer fatally in the neck, while another officer was stabbed less than lethally.
Once again, the Canadian police community grieves the violent death and loss of one of our own. Sgt Maureen BREAU was murdered in the line of duty while serving the Sûreté du Québec for over 20 years. Specifically, she had been assigned to the post of the MRC de Maskinonge. Maureen is survived by her partner, who also serves the provincial police, and her two children.
Flags at police agencies continue to fly at half-mast, while the blue and black memorial ribbon remains pinned over the hearts of police officers throughout our nation. With the frequency of murders of police officers increasing in Canada, I pray that our nation does not become numb to these tragic events. Every murder of a Canadian law enforcement officer represents gross rebellion against the ethics and morals of our nation. The murder of a police officer is an act of anarchy against societal authority and the men and women who sacrifice their comfort and security each tour to serve and protect their communities. In the wise words spoken decades ago by Sir Robert Peel, the police are the public and the public are the police. If Peel's principle is to remain applicable today, the public must continue not only to grieve the loss of slain officers, but also to cry out for reform in our judicial system regarding how it deals with violent offenders. The death of a police officer is the death of a public person in that community.
On behalf of the Leadership Team and all police chaplains of the Canadian Police Chaplain Association, we offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends and peers of Sgt Maureen BREAU and the Sûreté du Québec. Our thoughts and prayers are with you for strength, comfort and peace, and for the safety of police officers and their families from coast to coast. We pray for the speedy physical and emotional recovery of the surviving officer who was stabbed, and all First Responders and E911 personal who were engaged in this tragic incident. We pray for wisdom and discernment for any chaplain, spiritual caregiver, and counsellor who are attending to the needs of the police community.
May we never grow numb in emotion or complacent in thought or prayer when a police officer's tour of duty forever ends without an audible 10-42.
Deepest sympathy,
Constable/Chaplain Bruce Ewanyshyn
CPCA President
ICPC Director Region 1