Good afternoon, colleagues. Today I’d like to honour the memory of a woman who achieved some remarkable goals, while grounding her traditions through her family. She left them with lessons of strength, culture, tradition, work ethic and “to thine own self be true.”
Nagooyoak Mabel Pokiak Lumsden was born on Banks Island, the westernmost point of the Arctic Archipelago. In her early years, she spent time between her family’s summer camp in Tuktoyaktuk and their winter camp in Sachs Harbour. When she was five, she was taken to the residential school in Aklavik.
She remained there until she went to Sir John Franklin, where she not only graduated, she went on to do something unheard of at that time. She left the Northwest Territories to attend the Winnipeg School of Nursing, where she graduated in 1964.
This remarkable woman had a favourite saying: “Imagine that.” Imagine that an Inuvialuit woman of her time went to university not once, but four times, completing four different courses of study in medicine. Imagine that this woman understood how important it was to share her traditional knowledge of hunting, trapping, dance and sewing with her family and younger generations. And imagine that this same woman could bridge two worlds and impress upon her family and friends the importance of culture and language while carving a life in mainstream medicine.
When we are privileged to have a snapshot of the life of a woman like Nagooyoak Mabel Pokiak Lumsden, we must honour her. Against all odds, she became the first Inuit nurse in Canada and had a strong and lasting effect on all she met.
Ms. Pokiak Lumsden was a role model for so many and her lessons live on through her family and everyone she touched.
Her achievements reflect a determined life lived on her own terms, understanding the value of education, never forgetting the importance of her family and culture, and sharing her experiences and
stories with as many people as she could. She was a true Northerner with a resilient character, determination and the drive to prove that circumstance does not always dictate direction.
Ms. Pokiak Lumsden passed away on August 6, 2012. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Mr. Speaker, since the implementation of the New Deal for NWT Community Governments in 2007, community governments have been in control of their own infrastructure priorities. MACA has worked closely with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and the local government administrators of the NWT to develop an accountability framework that emphasizes and reinforces the goals of the New Deal initiative and supports the Legislative Assembly’s goal of a strong North built on partnerships.
The framework is based on the five core areas of community government responsibility supported by MACA: good governance, financial management, sound administration, planning, and safe communities. It sets expectations for the monitoring, engagement and support the GNWT will provide to community governments as they go about meeting their responsibilities and it will help us to work in partnership to build sustainable, vibrant and safe communities.
The framework includes key indicators that measure the success and/or capacity of a community government. It provides information about why each indicator has been identified as important, a listing of potential outcomes that would be the result of successful community government performance in that area, and information about how MACA can engage with community governments to support their success.
The framework was identified in the department’s 2010-2015 strategic plan as an important tool for creating standard rules of engagement between MACA and community governments. We consulted with community governments, who were a key resource in fine-tuning the framework to ensure it works for both MACA and community government stakeholders.
The new framework will help the department target areas for training and focus strategic planning to better support community governments to achieve success in their operations. Reports will be an important part of MACA’s business planning and will allow for evidence-based decisions regarding community government’s funding and capacity building needs. They will also be useful for community governments in communicating with residents to ensure transparency in their operations.
MACA began implementing the accountability framework in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. A draft was circulated to communities at the NWT Association of Communities annual general meeting and will be formally circulated to community governments in 2013. The funding agreements provided to communities in June 2012 included reporting requirements that enable MACA to gather information to support the implementation of the accountability framework.
Implementation of the framework is also being supported through ongoing communications intended to ensure that the dialogue between community governments and the department is open and clear. The department will also be updating the community toolkit, available on the MACA website, to include tools and checklists designed to support communities as implementation of the framework progresses.
This framework will guide our future work in developing sustainable, vibrant, safe communities across this territory. I look forward to presenting it to community government representatives at MACA’s Good Governance Conference later this month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister for Justice, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, sustainable, vibrant and safe communities is one of the goals of this Assembly. To help achieve this goal, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made it a priority for all NWT communities to have a community policing plan in place. Last year was the first year all 33 communities had dedicated plans in place based on their own needs, resources and priorities.
These formal plans and the reporting structure were put into place several years ago. The difference the plans are making is evident. We now have communities participating in a full consultation to outline their priorities upfront. The second part of the plan requires police to provide a written report to the community leadership of their monthly results. This interaction fosters a situation where police are building trust within the community through accountability. The result is trust and respect from all people involved. This trust makes community police relationships stronger.
I want to give you an example of how community-specific priorities have worked. Every NWT community built the need to reduce drug and alcohol activity into their policing plans.
In Hay River the RCMP seized over five and a half pounds of marijuana. In addition, thousands of dollars in cash and many ounces of cocaine and crack cocaine have been taken out of the drug network. Charges were laid against 11 different individuals. We know these drugs were being transported across our border, as the majority of people charged did not live in our territory.
These results come by having people in the community working with their RCMP members. Something as simple as telling the police when an underage drinking party is underway can make a significant change in the amount of illegal drugs available in a community.
Last October a search at a home in Behchoko revealed a large quantity of drugs, over $7,000 in cash, and illegal liquor that was destined for smaller communities. This seizure is a step in the right direction to ensure public safety and reduce the negative effects of intoxication and addictions.
Check-stops by Tulita RCMP resulted in several seizures of liquor that would have been brought into the community, with total seizures for December amounting to a street value of over $10,000. Winter road check-stops will be continuing to keep the community safe.
For two weeks in December, Mr. Speaker, the Fort Good Hope detachment conducted several check-stops on the winter road that serves several communities. Over 80 bottles of liquor, valued over $7,000, were seized. The RCMP reported the community had a peaceful time with no calls to the RCMP for assistance for domestic violence, break and enters or other incidents, many of which we know are fueled by alcohol. We know continuing collaborative work between the RCMP and communities ensures the interception of illegal alcohol.
From these community leaders’ reports I spoke of earlier, Mr. Speaker, there is a section on Notable Occurrences for the Month. In the Colville Lake report for December, it was noted that the community advised RCMP a person wanted on a Canada-wide warrant was in Colville Lake for the holidays. This individual was subsequently arrested and returned to jail.
The department is working with the RCMP and prosecutors to strengthen prosecution of Liquor Act offences through continued training of officers. We are continuing our educational and awareness efforts through the Not Us! program. I would be remiss not to mention the support we provide to community justice committees and victims services workers to allow them to continue their critical work in each community and with the RCMP members.
Mr. Speaker, as well as communities becoming involved with the RCMP, the commanding officer instructs members coming into a community for the first time on the necessity of engaging with residents through a local orientation program. This will assist members in understanding the cultural differences in their new home. A key component includes members meeting with both elders and youth in social situations. Although we can teach cross-cultural awareness in classrooms, nothing is as effective as firsthand experience.
I know all Members here will support their communities in their efforts to make a difference. Encourage people to speak up and work with the police to ensure priorities and the laws of our land are upheld. The results show it works. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know we can all agree that there are a number of benefits to having locally trained professionals work in our region that come from our communities. Students, schools and communities benefit from an increase in cultural sensitivity and gain knowledge of Aboriginal history, language, and connection to the culture. In the Sahtu we have some success getting residents into the Teacher Education Program and our efforts continue.
In 2009 the Sahtu Education Council brought forward a well thought out proposal to prepare students academically for entrance in the teaching profession. This access program, which can be delivered in the Sahtu, would be available to students and residents who are interested in furthering their education in this field, creating the much needed resources in our region and, more importantly, role models.
I urge the Department of Education to invest in this model of training that will benefit our region and cut our costs to the education system. This initiative would involve the divisional education council, and ECE and Aurora College taking partnership in lowering the cost as well. That is one of our priorities: partnership. This model can be near a similar program that was held in the Tlicho region which, I might add, has been very successful.
From the proposal, I quote, “The Sahtu youth of this and future generations deserve to be in a learning environment where people of their culture are interacting with them in a professional, learning community.” These words are from the people of the Sahtu region. It is my hope that the Minister and the Government of the Northwest Territories hears them and facilitates making the proposal a reality for the residents of the Sahtu region. We are looking at doing that in the Sahtu region where we can have young students who are graduating from high school to want to become teachers. That’s something that we’ve been saying as leaders in this House, is to have our own people as lawyers, judges, teachers, doctors, and this is one proposal that will help them break that gap in ensuring our people have someone to look up to. We’re not going to be here all our lives, and we need young people to fill those roles and start having role models in our communities.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since this week is Education Week I would like to speak about the education system. Obviously, one of the most vital things that I think is part of the education system is our educators. We have some 800 educators in the Northwest Territories, and I think we need to take our time this week to recognize them and the hard efforts they put into our communities.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet with the NWT Teachers’ Association. They were able to provide us with information. It makes you think when you see the listing, in all 33 communities there’s at least one teacher. Even the small communities like Kakisa and Jean Marie River. They’re a vital part of our infrastructure in the Northwest Territories.
In preparation for making a statement on education, I was thinking, what do I want to say? I obviously wanted to talk about teachers. Personally, when we think of our lives growing up, we always have teachers like Irma Miron for kindergarten, Jack Cooper for Grade 5, and then Mr. Gerry Goudreau for high school. He was a high school educator who gave me advice on where to go for university and stuff. Those are some of the people who influenced me in my life. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the educators who are there right now working long, hard hours, grading papers and all this other stuff during their off hours.
Again, the whole concept is for me to thank the educators out there who are doing the hard work in the education system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned, this is Education Week and I’d like to acknowledge the 800-plus teachers across the NWT working to make a difference in the lives of the students in their schools. I especially want to acknowledge the over 200 teachers and teacher aides working in our 14 Yellowknife-area schools.
Research has proven many times over that the single most important factor in a child’s success in school is a teacher who cares, but there are challenging barriers that are outside an individual teacher’s control, barriers that hinder and impede students’ learning.
In a recent NWT Teachers’ Association survey, two issues are identified by Yellowknife educators as the most challenging. The first one is that of class size and class composition. As a result of our Inclusive Schooling Policy and the wide array of special needs served by schools, the number of students in NWT classrooms has reached crises proportions.
Special needs in today’s schools include gifted students, students with many different physical disabilities, as well as the behaviourly challenged. As teachers work to address individual student needs, their job has become more daunting. Seventy percent of NWT teachers are impacted by increased student behaviour challenges, as well as an increased number of students with special needs. In addition, 64 percent of our teachers state that they have inadequate classroom support and that the availability of trained or qualified classroom assistants is not keeping pace with need.
Hand in hand with the first issue comes an ever-increasing workload for teachers, a load that is not conducive to optimal learning conditions for students. The demands converge on teachers from a variety of sources: curriculum and program implementation; reporting requirements and administrative paperwork; breakfast programs; school-based program activities, extra-curricular options, and events; fund-raising; coordinating and organizing on-the-land programs; local, regional and territorial committee participation; in-service requirements; as well as an increasing commitment to community engagement and community efforts with the home and families. It’s a long list, Mr. Speaker. While teachers’ main goal is the success of their students, the ever-increasing demands on their time and energy cannot be sustained if we want an optimal learning environment for students.
Secondly, the NWT’s policy of inclusive schooling must be backed up with adequate student support if we are to meet students’ needs and help each child reach his or her full potential. Teachers cannot do it alone. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise in recognition of Education Week and I’ll gear my Member’s statement towards that.
The Education Minister has recently mentioned his plan to review and renew our education system. I support this review and, I believe, it should be extensive. The practice of social passing should be one aspect of the review. It has long been a concern in the communities that I represent. The department has always denied that social passing in our policy, but it is a practice that some schools use.
Students are passed to the next grade, even though they are not ready academically. They move along in their age group, and quite often many of the rest are not ready to advance, either.
Poor attendance is part of the problem, as the Minister knows. He has spoken of it often, especially with respect to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Strategy. Some students miss so many days of school that it adds up to two years lost by the time they get to the end of high school. It is a rare genius who can skip two years of school and still graduate knowing all they were supposed to learn. It is no wonder that many students finish school without truly being qualified.
I cannot begin to list the damages done by promoting substandard students through our schools, students who fail when they go to secondary school or fail when they get to college or university. I know that a good education is the product of partnerships with parents, teachers, students and everyone in the community. I hope the Minister’s review will produce concrete ways to strengthen these partnerships.
The traditional way of learning in most of my communities is to watch and hear how something is done, then keep practicing until you get it right. We have high standards and we’d like to see it throughout the whole Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Eight regions, 33 communities, 49 schools, 800 educators, 8,350 students over 1.3 million square kilometres. This is, of course, the framework of our education landscape, and it is pretty impressive I must say.
Today we celebrate and give our heartfelt thanks to the profession that is the pillar of our education system, and I am referring to our teachers and our teachers’ aides out there. To be a bit different this year, I thought it would be fun to spell the word teacher using a few of the over 2,700 thank you excerpts from students from across the North who were gathered for this year’s Thank You for Making a Difference campaign sponsored by the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association.
T is for thank you for always being friendly to me.
E is for everything they do.
A is for always fun to play with.
C is for cares that I am safe.
H is for helps me keep going.
E is for eternally grateful.
R is for respects who I am.
No matter how you spell it, we are very thankful for the over 800 educators in our schools who contribute so strongly to our healthy communities. On behalf of the Members here today, we salute you, the educators, the teachers, the teachers’ aides, and thank you as we strive to work together in the next couple of years in using new innovative learning approaches for our students and our families across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That will be a tough act to follow there. I, too, would like to stand before the House and recognize and appreciate all the work that’s been going on in the education area, specifically to the Department of Education on their new renewal strategy. We have some new staff in there that’s doing some really good work and I think we’ll see some good improvements in the rest of this Assembly as we move forward in the education system and deal with some of our challenges.
Specifically, I would like to thank all the hardworking staff at the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority as well as all the board members who make critical decisions into the education on how our dollars are being spent. I would also like to thank the District Education Authority for all of their support and hard work for families in the community of Inuvik, the Aboriginal student group that does a lot of work with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. They do a lot of work. It is all volunteer-based. They brought a lot of good recommendations forward and are trying to put those into action. We also have a youth council in Inuvik at the school that does a lot of really great work, and the Beaver Volunteer Program, these volunteers come from all over the world. In fact, some of them actually make the effort to stay behind and are very big volunteers in the community, not just at the school.
I’d like to obviously recognize the teachers and the educators who spend a lot of time with our students who help build them, help build their character, give them life skills so that they can succeed in the future. Specifically, we have four educators in the school system in Inuvik that two of them I know were there when I started kindergarten. I would like to recognize those educators, and teachers and role models who contributed to me being here today. They are Mr. Shane Brewster, who is a coach and role model in the community and the region; Ms. Bella Kay, who preserves all the traditions, cultures and language; Mr. Heath Israel, who was a really big supporter of mine in junior high and helped me get that extra level of education; and also Mr. Ross McCallum, who also has served a long time in the community. These four are prime examples of strong educators, role models and coaches who have committed their whole time to the community of Inuvik and the people, the families and the students. I would like to thank them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is Education Week and we all need to recognize the value of an education. Many people need to recognize the value of staying in school and attending classes every day that they can. Parents need to set an example by showing respect for teachers and getting as much education as they can themselves. For many people, education is an opportunity to rise above alcohol and drug abuse. Education is critical to both health and employment status.
We recently learned that the Northwest Territories are not meeting their northern employment quotas. Low levels of education are preventing unemployed residents from taking advantage of job openings. That is a sad reality, especially for the people in small communities who really need those jobs.
We must also recognize that for some of us, getting an education isn’t very easy at all. The days of abuse and loss of culture in residential schools are, thankfully, over. I for one am glad to see the tragic history of residential schools recognized in the NWT curriculum. Students in Fort Providence and the K’atlodeeche Reserve have benefited enormously from teachers who speak their language, like well-known elder Margaret Thom and also Dorothy Buckley of the K’atlodeeche Reserve. But First Nations and Metis students are still challenged to get a western education while maintaining their own language and culture.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister on the subject. Thank you. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In keeping with our theme day today on education, I’d like to talk about inclusive schooling a little bit. Our policy in the Department of Education is to provide inclusive schooling so that children all be taught in the same classroom regardless of any special needs they may have. They attend school and are taught in the same classroom.
I have spoken to this issue in the House before and that is a very noble goal, but if the funding and adequate funding is not available to fund inclusive schooling, the results can be quite dire. The way in which inclusive schooling is funded is through a formula and I believe that that is wrong. I believe that students coming into the school system, either starting off or moving into our school system from another jurisdiction, need to be assessed if they have special needs. If they have special needs then the funding should follow the student through their school career and this will avoid the hit and miss approach we take now.
I hate to see teachers under stress and, unfortunately, what I am hearing from teachers is, when they have one or more special needs students in their classroom and do not have the adequate support from inclusive school funding, the result is unhappy, not only for the special needs student but for the other students in the classroom, as well, and puts an extra strain and stress on the teachers, and it discourages me greatly when I hear of these situations occurring. What it will take from our government is a change in the policy.
The inclusive schooling budget, sadly, was also recently cut, which, if anything, there should be more money going into inclusive schooling and it should be targeted, it should not be done on a formula basis.
There is more funding for inclusive schooling going into some schools that don’t need it and less than what is needed in other schools. So it’s not a good way we are doing it right now, and I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment later today in question period on what we are going to do to address this, because I think this is an urgent issue.
I’ve talked to teachers who say that they are under such pressure to meet the varied needs within their classroom that they’re reconsidering a career in teaching. That is not a good thing to hear. Teaching is not an easy career. I admire teachers greatly. I know it is something that I could not do day in and day out. It’s a calling, it’s not a profession, and we need to support our teachers in every way we can. Lack of funding for inclusive schooling is not acceptable. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During this Education Week the buzz on the street is about the possible move towards educational reform. I’d like to inform the discussion based on the experience of Finnish educator Dr. Pasi Sahlberg.
When the Finns began retooling their education system 30 years ago, they didn’t set out to be the best, but today it’s one of the most successful public education systems in the world. They just set out to make schools the best possible place for children.
Finnish education is based on three principles: all education is paid by the state, from preschool to primary through to university; every school is a “basic school,” similar and unified in programming through to Grade 10 so that everyone has the same equity of access. Laudably, the Finns insist that teachers be superbly trained, with everyone required to have a Master’s degree. The teachers’ education is rigorous. They also qualify as educational researchers. Although salaries are only average, teaching is a coveted job and highly respected.
Students don’t start school until age seven. Before that, publicly funded child care and early childhood programming emphasizes play and activity. Finnish schools are standardized test-free zones, with their first tests administered as they leave school. Dr. Sahlberg notes: students achieve better when they’re not fueled by fear of failure.
Student and teacher performance evaluations are done by sample testing and teacher assessments of pupils. Their government invests 30 times more in teachers’ professional development than it spends on testing its students.
Homework is minimal in early years to maximize play time, gradually increasing to high school. The emphasis is on development of thinking skills and personal strengths.
Putting student well-being and happiness first creates a dramatic reduction in drop-out rates and world-class increase in success rates. Education helps students identify and develop their personal strengths. The philosophy is not to equip students to get a job, to produce credentialed workers, but to prepare people to meet the challenges of life, including employment.
Finland set out three decades ago to create a school system aimed at equity and built one of the most successful systems in the world. Will this government consider these clear lessons in any reform of our NWT school system?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many schools, including those in Yellowknife, are shortchanged when it comes to support in funding for inclusive schooling. This is the practice of including all students with special needs in regular classes and providing the extra support they certainly need and deserve.
Yellowknife schools are attracting special needs students from far and wide. Why? Because it’s a clear demonstration of the good quality schools we have here. As well, sometimes the families need to come to Yellowknife for the other services, which include health care, respite and counselling.
Insufficient support for inclusive schooling is a real fallout for all students and teachers. Similar to Mrs. Groenewegen’s statement, classrooms are disrupted and certainly learning is slowed down. No one is benefitting from this funding shortage because the workload for those teachers increases. It’s not the students’ fault, it’s the department’s fault for not supporting our teachers and our schools.
Poor support for inclusive schooling is probably a factor of overall student achievement. My thought is we all agreed that was one of our biggest priorities. There are several problems with funding for inclusive schooling. One is the funding formula and, as Mrs. Groenewegen highlighted, it’s important that maybe we start attaching it to the student, not just throwing gobs of money to a school board and asking them to allocate, which doesn’t spread fairly. There have been cuts to inclusive schooling and I think that’s a real shame. It should be a black spot on our mark as a government going forward.
It’s not too late. This government could wake up and get attention to this issue that needs special attention. As it turns out, the situation can be saved, but I think it’s unfair to schools like here in Yellowknife and other regions that are attracting these students that need higher staff ratios for them to participate fairly. We’re not talking about subtle differences here. We’re talking about sometimes it’s as high as 20 percent higher in student ratios, which is unfair to the school board that must try to cope and deal with these situations.
The system needs funding for inclusive schools to change. I can’t repeat this enough. I, like other Members such as Mrs. Groenewegen, believe that inclusive schooling funding for students needs that extra oomph and it can only be done by attaching it to the student, as she said and I continue to repeat.
An exclusive education policy is absolutely meaningless if this Minister and this government doesn’t step up to the plate and finally put the responsible resources behind them. If we want to support our educators and our board, this is when this government must finally heed the call of these teachers, these school boards, these trustees. By giving them the responsibility and respect that they deserve, fund them properly.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I’d like to thank my teachers, I guess, back home who had an influence in my life. Ms. Janie Jones back home in Tuk, still teaching there for the last 30 years. Ms. Anne-Marie Cameron, my Grade 5 teacher. She really did a lot of work with me that year, for the best. I’d like to thank my old principal, Mr. James Anderson, and my old high school teacher, Mr. Grant Gowans. Thank you, colleagues.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome Weledeh resident Madeline Holloway, daughter of Chris and Claire, and also her aunt Amanda Mallon, all residents of Weledeh.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two Pages: Jaida Edjericon and Walker Adjun, both from St. Patrick High School, here with us paging for the Legislative Assembly. I’d like to welcome them and recognize all the good, hard work that Pages put in to provide for the House. Also to the visitors that we have in the gallery, happy Education Week.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of local Yellowknife educators who are with us in the gallery. Bernie Giacobbo, who is the assistant superintendent for Yellowknife Education District No. 1, Gayla Meredith, who is president of the NWT Teachers’ Association. Another educator who is now working in a different field, my constituency assistant, Amanda Mallon, and her niece Madeline Holloway. Welcome, all.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to acknowledge a constituent of mine, Bernie Giacobbo. As Ms. Bisaro pointed out, he is the YK1 assistant superintendent and he is doing a great job over there.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Shirley Firth, a long-time Olympic athlete and also a recipient of numerous awards, including the Aboriginal Achievement Award.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Colleagues, I’d like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of my executive assistant and good friend, Shirley Firth-Larsson.
Shirley was among the first Aboriginal women to compete in various international cross-country ski competitions, including four World Ski Championships in 1972 to 1984. Shirley represented Canada in four consecutive Winter Olympics, a streak only equalled by speed-skating legend Gaetan Boucher.
Her career was an outstanding testimony to the dedication displayed by her in achieving a level of excellence very rarely attained by any athlete in the country. Shirley was a member of Canada’s National Cross-Country Ski Team for an unprecedented 17 consecutive years, competing at the top of the World Cup circuit.
Shirley competed in four World Ski Championships and four Olympics, won 42 Canadian National Championship medals: 29 Gold, 10 Silver and three Bronze.
Shirley was awarded with the Northwest Territories Commissioner’s Award, the Order of Canada, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Award. She was inducted into the Canadian Museum Ski Hall of Fame and inducted in the Banff Sports Hall of Fame.
Shirley, it is an honour to work with you. Please join me in welcoming my executive assistant, Ms. Shirley Firth-Larsson, into the House today.
---Applause
