We know only one sure thing from Wednesday’s shooting in Parliament: Security in Ottawa is wanting.

But this is no news flash. Canadians simply do not take security seriously. It’s not on our radar.

We continue to labour under the misbelief that “it can’t happen here” and that we’re just not “that kind of place.” We seem to lack the mindset to turn our heads to the violent threats directed at our leaders and ourselves.

But whether or not Wednesday’s attack was motivated by terrorism or any other identifiable motive, it’s time to wake up. A murderous assault happened here – in the heart of our Parliament – and it will happen again if we don’t smarten up.

Only 30 years ago, it was possible to drive your car right up to the Peace Tower. Those days are gone, thank goodness.

But it’s about as easy to penetrate Parliament and our other national institutions as it is to get into a movie without a ticket.

When I worked in Ottawa just six years ago, I attended Cabinet committee meetings about once a week. Each time I went, I was stunned at how lax security was.

On one occasion, I walked all the way into the Cabinet Room — filled with 20 or so Ministers — without a single security check of any kind. I could have had a gun, or worse, but no one even checked my ID.

In the nice weather, I used to ride my bike to the office and park it right in the compact centre of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office. There wasn’t even a gate at the entrance, though there is one now, thankfully. Anyone could have walked, ridden or driven in, and been up to no good.

There was a bicycle security protocol, though. I had to get a small metal disc, about the size of a quarter, and hang it off the bottom of my bike seat with a plastic tie. The disc still hangs on my bike today, six years after I left the public service and five years after I moved to Toronto.

When I raised concerns, no one seemed to share them. It can’t happen here. It’s just not our culture.

Since leaving the Public Service, I have gone to public and private events with leading politicians, including the Prime Minister, and the same concerns repeat.

And so, I began avoiding the issue. If asked, the furthest I would go would be to reply to a question about security along the lines of “It’s poor, but I don’t discuss security concerns.” I was worried that by discussing the weaknesses, someone would exploit them.

After Wednesday, though, enough is enough. One person is dead. Another is wounded. Our Parliamentarians and public servants – my old colleagues and friends – could have been at far greater risk. It’s time for a national conversation about how we should secure our leaders, our institutions and ourselves. It’s time to take security seriously.

Taking security seriously doesn’t just require spending money to, say, build a fence around Parliament Hill tall enough to keep people from hopping over it. It’s about sensitizing ourselves to the threats we face and shaping our culture in a manner that recognizes them.

This does not mean that we should adopt a militarized culture. Far from it. But it does mean that we have to begin to put security concerns on the front burner.

Until Wednesday, we really did not see the risks we face, be they terrorist, criminal or otherwise. But they saw us. They continue to see our weaknesses and will continue to exploit them.

Canadians spend millions each year on safety and security. Our tax dollars fund the activities of CSIS, the RCMP, the military and more. We even created an entire federal government department dedicated just to Public Safety.

And yet you can already hear the cries — to keep Parliament “open,” to avoid “American-style” security.

Such excessive laxity would be disastrous. It already has led to innocent blood being spilled this week in the middle of our nation’s capital.

It is time for our country to take national security seriously. Enough is enough.