Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke made the following statement in the House of Commons regarding the October 22nd attack on Parliament Hill;
Hansard, October 23, 2014 Statements by Members Mrs. Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, Conservative) :
Mr. Speaker, as the Member of Parliament for Base Petawawa, I rise today to express sympathy for the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a true Canadian hero who died in service to his country. Our military family is a tight-knit community. We feel the pain and the loss of Corporal Cirillo’s family.
The day before this week’s tragic event on Parliament Hill, I had the privilege of greeting the grade five class from Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Petawawa. As we stood in the Peace Tower above the Hall of Honour, a young boy of a serving soldier asked me if his dad’s name was in the Book of Remembrance.
Thankfully, I could tell him no.
My thoughts on Wednesday immediately went to the children of serving soldiers of Base Petawawa, like the grade five class, and the grade 10 civics class from Bishop Smith Catholic High School, which was on Parliament Hill the same day, and to all the children who are victims of senseless violence.
We must never forget the risk every man and woman takes when they put on the uniform of a Canadian soldier, and the loved ones at home who keep the home fires burning.