Mr. Speaker, less than a week ago the nation was sent into a state of shock over hearing about the random shooting at the W. R. Myers High School in Taber. Sadly we also received word that one of the young men, Jason Lang, had passed away.
Today, a family, a community and a country are burying one of their own. On this sad day I would like to call on all Canadians to look into their hearts and to say a prayer for the family that is suffering. These families, especially the Lang family, will live every day with the pain of this event. It will become an ache that they will learn to deal with but know will never subside. Through their daily lives they will carry the spirit of Jason with them in all they do.
As Jason's father Reverend Lang stated a few days ago “it is like a piece of your heart is gone and it will never come back”. The Bible states blessed are those with a pure heart because they will see God. Today Reverend Lang stated that Jason has definitely seen God.
The country has seen the strength and courage of one family dealing with the utmost pain, and today we are witnesses to a wounded community healing itself.
During the memorial service today Reverend Lang said “Jesus is weeping with this community today”. Not only is he weeping. Jesus is asking us to look at our lives and see what is really important to us. We must open our hearts to one another and we must learn to love. We must not hate and we must not allow hate to take over our schools and make them a breeding ground for other such incidents to happen.
The prayers of the country are with the Lang family and the community of Taber, Alberta. I ask my colleagues today to stand for a moment of silence and a wee prayer for all of them, the families of Taber and the families of Colorado.