Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to mark the sudden passing of Dr. Clyde Hertzman. Clyde Hertzman became well known to NWT health professionals and educators through his role as an advisor to this government in the development of the first Early Childhood Framework. He has since been a continuing resource and inspiration to our territorial early childhood community. Dr. Hertzman was with us only last month at the Early Childhood Development Round Table in Yellowknife. I know many Members were there and Ministers, where, with his usual high energy and discerning understanding of his audience, he effectively conveyed his learned research, an essential point to consider in the design and evaluation of early childhood programs.
Dr. Hertzman was director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, Canada Research chair in Population Health and Human Development and professor in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. He was a Senior Fellow of the Experienced-based Brain and Biological Development Programme and the Successful Societies Programs of the prestigious Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He was named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year in 2010. He held an honourary appointment at the Institute for Child Health University College of London, England, and last month earned the Order of Canada.
As one of the great champions of early childhood development and population health in Canada, Dr. Hertzman was considered a guru in the international field. He produced an extraordinary body of research spanning and linking the health and social sciences. This trailblazing work deepened our understanding of childhood development and provided compelling evidence-based arguments for progressive policies. Struggling for publicly funded universal childcare, striving for program assessment and young child evaluation tools and pushing for the elimination of child poverty, Dr. Hertzman was an impassioned champion of the need to bring equal opportunity to all people.
We were fortunate to enjoy his support, wisdom and inspiration in the continuing effort to improve the well-being of our children, families, society, community and economy. The early childhood community and the people of this territory feel his loss, and continue to be inspired by his example and contributions. Our most sincere condolences to his wife and children.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
