HAMILTON - The prime minister and his wife will be among family and friends bidding a final farewell to the young soldier gunned down in last week's attack on the National War Memorial as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown today.
Stephen and Laureen Harper are expected to be joined by MPs and other dignitaries at a regimental funeral for the 24-year-old reservist in Hamilton this afternoon.
The service is open to invited guests only, but members of the public will have the opportunity to view a procession carrying Cirillo's casket as it winds its way through the streets of Hamilton later this morning.
The funeral at the Christ’s Church Cathedral will also be broadcast on screens at Hamilton's First Ontario Centre, a sporting arena in the city, where mourners will have the opportunity to gather. Cirillo will then be buried in a field of honour at a Hamilton cemetery.
His regiment — the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders — will be out in full force with their iconic kilts while other military units and uniformed police officers are expected to take part in the funeral procession that will follow the hearse carrying his casket.
An honorary flypast by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engined bomber, is also planned.
Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets.
The young soldier's funeral comes a day after a public visitation which saw a steady stream of mourners file into a funeral home in Hamilton to pay their respects at his open casket.
Cirillo lay in his formal uniform, his white-gloved hands crossed on his chest, as two members of his regiment stood guard on either side of his casket.
The sight drew tears from many mourners, a number of whom didn't know Cirillo personally but felt compelled to pay tribute to him.
"You feel like you know him. And because of the type of work he was doing, for the whole country, you felt like you had to be there," said Patricia Fitzgerald, who had travelled from Mississauga, Ont., to pay her respects.
"I hope his family will get some solace from the outpouring of grief that they've seen."
Cirillo left behind a five-year-old son, who attended a private visitation for his father on Sunday wearing the hat worn by those in the soldier's regiment.
Wreaths, bouquets and signs of support have been laid outside Cirillo's family home and outside the funeral home where his visitations were held.
Thousands of people also expressed their grief and paid tribute along the Highway of Heroes, from Ottawa to Hamilton, as Cirillo's body was brought home on Friday.
Cirillo's family issued a statement Friday evening thanking Canadians for their support.