Stephen Harper said few tragedies have struck as painful a chord during his time in public office as the shootings of four Mounties in 2005, as statues honouring the slain men were unveiled Friday.
"There have been few more heart-wrenching moments in my experience in Canadian public life than the time we lost these four fine young men," said Harper as he addressed a crowd of about 1,500 people in Mayerthorpe, Alta.
"Although we can never know the depths of your pain, Canadians were deeply horrified by the murders of your sons and grandsons, husbands and fathers, brothers and best friends."
The statues are part of a park that honours Constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon -- four RCMP officers who were shot to death on March 3, 2005 in Mayerthorpe, during an investigation at a local farm.
They were killed by James Roszko, a man well known to police, who turned the gun on himself after shooting the officers.
Margaret Thibault, one of the project's head organizers, told the crowd that the heart of the community was unlocked when the four officers died.
"This work is a project from the heart and it is to be a testament to the esteem of each individual who gave their life to ensure the peace and safety of citizens," she said. "It's a testament of our pride in all those who give their life. It embodies all that is good, all that is right."
Fighting back tears at moments, Thibault said the officers are being commemorated with four different statues because even though they stood as brothers, they were unique individuals who each contributed to their families, friends and community in a distinct way.
The statues of the men are facing different directions, towards their hometowns, and stand in a circle to pay homage to Const. Johnston's Metis roots.
The obelisk stands in the middle, with a circle of bronze doves at its top.
Sculptors Don and Shirley Begg and their staff at Studio West in Cochrane, Alta., consulted the families of the victims to get the 400-kilogram bronze statues as lifelike as possible.
"We began to feel that we knew these young men ... we had to know their personalities in order to portray their likenesses properly. They are such a part of our lives we call them by their first names," Shirley Begg told The Canadian Press.
"You know how a mother strokes her child's head? Mothers know what the hairline on the back of their son's head looks like. They wanted them lifelike and accurate."
Crowds gathered early in the day to ensure a seat for the ceremony. Bleachers had to be brought in from neighbouring towns to accommodate the crowd.
The community was the driving force behind the memorial, raising $1.8 million over three years and volunteering countless hours in order to see the project come to fruition.
In his speech, Harper called the tribute "magnificent" and said it embodies a town that showed courage and resiliency in a time of tragedy rather than rage and despair.
He also said the shootings were a "monstrous insult to all that is good and decent in the Canadian way of life" and the peaceful people who live in Mayerthorpe's "close-knit" community.
John Muise, CTV's police analyst, said a tribute is helpful to grieving family and friends.
"There's no such thing as closure when it comes to the worst kind of crimes like murder, but certainly these are moments along the path, along the way, that help with the whole grieving process and allow people in small ways to move forward," he told CTV Newsnet.
He said the tribute is also incredibly important to the community that was deeply stricken by the murders.
"This memorial will be a place where people can come and bring their kids," he said, noting that children played an integral part in the fundraising efforts. "I think that was significant ... young people remind us about the joy of life. All of this will be helpful for this community."
