[English translation not provided]. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the popularity and salute the success of a course promoting greater use and understanding of aboriginal language and culture here in Yellowknife. The six-week Wiiliideh language and culture course is delivered to about 15 students from classrooms in Detah and Ndilo. Wiiliideh language instructor par excellence Mary Rose Sundberg is the teacher. Now in its third year, the popularity of this course has grown to the point where organizers are getting about four times as many applications as there are seats available. Enrolment is open to all students, including government workers, business employees, and even Yellowknife's Dene First Nation citizens who want to learn more about their own culture and take part in a high-quality community event. The course was developed in collaboration with Arctic College instructor Hugh Moloney. Returning from a year in New Zealand with his family several years ago, Mr. Moloney was impressed with a course he witnessed there that went beyond mere language instruction to explore the roots of language and culture and traditions. The course was based on the concept that, through learning language, a student will be better equipped to understand the culture. A language course is far more than the words learned. It is a window into the landscapes, the experience, and the people who speak the language. Through the process of learning the language, students gain an appreciation of the culture and the ability to understand why people think and act the way they do. Language acquisition enables a learner to build new relationships and strengthen cross-cultural ties.
Judging by the popularity of this course, Yellowknife students are thirsty for cultural knowledge. So far, the course has been offered free of charge. While a similar course is available in Fort Smith, the course here has served to pilot the approach of cultural exploration as the basis of language instruction. We are seeing what has worked here, and we should build on this experience. I want to congratulate Mary Rose Sundberg who is a well-known Yellowknives Dene First Nation citizen and linguist for her work as the instructor for this course and Hugh Moloney who has helped deliver the course through Aurora College. I commend this course to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment for a possible development of similar offerings for other languages and regions. This government spends a lot of money and effort on promoting the preservation and growth of official languages and rightly so. The Wiiliideh language and cultural course is a model that is working. Let's invest in this initiative and not just to spread language use but to build bridges of cultural knowledge and understanding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
