Although the position has become mostly ceremonial, during the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, the then Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, Kevin M. Vickers, assisted RCMP officers in engaging the gunman. Reports show that Sergeant-at-Arms Vickers, alongside RCMP Constable Curtis Barrett, shot and killed the gunman who had gained access to the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament buildings. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, is also known for his role in ending Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Parliament Building on 8 May 1984 by constituting himself hostage and negotiating with the shooter for four hours.