The Parliamentary Protective Service is an entity of the Parliament of Canada created by law that is mandated to provide physical security for parliamentarians, employees, and visitors within the Parliamentary Precinct in Ottawa, Ontario. The Director of the PPS is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and operates under policies set by the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons. PPS provides physical security services to the Parliament of Canada, and acts as a parliamentary entity. Protection of the Prime Minister of Canada still remains with the RCMP Protective Policing Services. While the Director of the PPS must be a member of the RCMP by law, he or she controls and manages the organization's daily operations. The Director executes his or her mandate under the joint general policy direction of the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speakers of both Houses, being responsible for PPS, and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness have entered into an arrangement to have the RCMP lead the physical security operations of PPS.
History
On October 22, 2014, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau evaded security and entered the Hall of Honour with a rifle and a knife after fatally shooting Corporal Nathan Cirillo of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, injuring a constable. On November 2014, the Joint Advisory Working Group on Security identified lack of communication among security groups at Parliament Hill as a significant problem, and recommended combining the existing security forces under the Senate, the House of Commons and RCMP detachment in charge of the grounds into one integrated security service. Parliament subsequently passed Bill C-59, which mandated this change. By June 23, 2015, the PPS was created by law under an amendment to the . The Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons were, as the custodians of the powers, privileges, rights and immunities of their respective Houses and of their members, responsible for the PPS. The newly created parliamentary entity amalgamated the former Senate Protective Service, House of Commons security, and detection specialists, under a single unified security service to serve the Parliament of Canada. Subsequently, the new Parliamentary Protective Service began, starting with changes in weaponry, radio communication and surveillance equipment. One indication of increased security at Parliament Hill is the appearance of RCMP officers armed with carbines in front of the buildings. About 30 new RCMP officers were added to the newly formed PPS. A Member of Parliament pointed out that not all of the officers in the unit spoke French, creating a potential for problems when directing the public during an emergency. In June 2016, the members of the new service were provided with uniforms designed to identify them as members of PPS. In November 2016, PPS constables stopped a man from entering the Centre Block with a meat cleaver.
