Canadian police arrested a man who tried to stab a member of the ceremonial guard on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, the defense ministry said. Authorities have so far not ruled out terrorism.

"Due to the quick reaction of our soldiers, RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and Parliamentary Protective Services, the potential threat was identified and neutralized," the defense ministry said in an email to AFP.

"No one was injured during this incident."

The man was arrested at about 10:15 am (1415 GMT) on the lawn of Parliament Hill, during the daily changing of the guard parade, a popular tourist attraction.

Ottawa police have opened an inquiry into the matter, the defense ministry said, without offering further details.

Later in the day, Toronto police named the suspect as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, who family members said had been mentally ill all his life.

In a statement, the family said Hussain "had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life".

In October 2014, a gunman shot and fatally wounded a soldier guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, before opening fire inside the nearby parliament building where he was shot and killed.

That attack came two days after a symphatizer of the Daesh terrorist group used his car to run over two soldiers south of Montreal, killing one of them.