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House of Commons, April 29, 1999 Here are a series of statements from various MPs expressing condolence to the familiies of the young people who were shot and filled at Taber, Alberta. Note that there are no condolences expressed to the families of those who allegedly did the shooting. Why not? Is there a presumption that these families all share in the guilt of there near kin who did the shooting. Are parents presumed to be the cause of the violence done by their children? If the parents are responsible for the violence why are the school, the community, the province and the country not also sharing in that responsibility? Perhaps these “condolences” are basically a blood ritual, shared by all political parties, in which they exorcise themselves of responsibility by projecting the guilt of the shooters onto their mothers, their fathers, their sisters, their brothers and their cousins, and then cordon off the circle of guilt so that it is contained in the circle of near relatives. mp 1400 [English] 1.1 YOUTH VIOLENCE Mr. Reg Alcock (Winnipeg South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, we were all shocked and saddened to hear about the senseless tragedy that occurred yesterday afternoon in Taber, Alberta. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Jason Lang who was killed yesterday during the shootings. Our prayers are with the family and friends of Shane Christmas who remains in serious condition in hospital. As a parent I can only imagine the terror that is felt at hearing there has been a shooting at your child's school. I can understand the pain the people of Taber are feeling today. As a parent I insist that our schools be what we intend them to be: places of learning, places where we can send our children knowing they will be safe. As a member of this House I am reminded that we must all work together to ensure conditions that produce such horrific violence are eliminated from our communities. As Jason Lang's father said today, `Lots of things need to be changed and lots of things need to be healed'. Over the coming days and months I know that all members will work to ensure that what can be done will be done. * * * * * * [English] 1.10 YOUTH VIOLENCE Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the official opposition, I express our great sorrow for the tragic shooting yesterday in Taber, Alberta. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the two boys who were shot, to the community of Taber, and to Glenn McMurray, executive director of the Reform Party, whose nephew Jason Lang died as a result of that shooting. I worked for many years as a high school teacher and this tragedy has affected me deeply. Next to being at home or in church, where else should young people feel more secure than when they are in school? As the Leader of the Opposition has said, if we could legislate against these kinds of grievous acts, we would all do so tomorrow. But laws will not prevent random violence. We must look at the root problem. If we strengthen families, improve the support provided by social services and make it easier for police to do their job, perhaps troubled youth will feel that they have a place to turn before they turn to violence. To the Langs, the Christmases and all of Taber, our thoughts and prayers are with you. * * * * * * [English] 1.12 YOUTH VIOLENCE Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg-Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the NDP, our thoughts and prayers today are with the family and friends of Jason Lang and Shane Christmas of Taber, Alberta. We share their grief over Jason and their anxiety and hopes for Shane and the shock that a fine Canadian community like Taber must feel at having this happen in their midst. This event challenges us all. It should challenge the media to ask themselves whether the way in which they report such events is part of the problem. It challenges people of all ages and not just young people to treat our fellow human beings in such a way that no one feels excluded or like an estranged loser. It challenges all of us, politicians and citizens, to ask how we can free our collective psyche from the growing fascination with nihilistic violence and death that permeates elements of our mass culture from video games to music and movies. The victims in Alberta and Colorado are like canaries in the mine. The cultural environment is toxic. Let us clean it up before it is too late. * * * * * * [English] 1.15 YOUTH VIOLENCE Mr. Rick Borotsik (Brandon-Souris, PC): Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend my condolences and deepest sympathies on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party to the people of Taber and the victims families of yesterday's tragedy at W. R. Myers High School. The families of Jason Lang and Shane Christmas are in our thoughts today. We pray that Shane will soon experience a full recovery at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital. The small agricultural community of Taber has suffered a tremendous shock, which has resonated across the country. Yesterday Canada lost some of its innocence. Coming so shortly after the tragic shootings in Colorado shows that our borders are not immune to random acts of violence. The actions of this 14 year old boy should be a reflection on what more we must do as a society to prevent such a senseless act from occurring ever again. We need to come to terms with how and why this happened. For now our focus must be on those who are suffering as a consequence of this tragedy. -- Michael W. Posluns, The StillWaters Group, First Nations Relations & Public Policy. Please note new address: mposluns@accglobal.net Phone 416 656-8613 Fax 416 656-2715 36 Lauder Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M6H 3E3. We offer Canadian parliamentary debates by topics and bills.
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