Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northwest Territories have been telling their elected leaders for some time that changes needed to be made to our electricity system so that it was more efficient, more affordable and more equitable for all Northwest Territories residents.
Today that change has come to our Territory, with the tabling later today of the Government of the Northwest Territories response to both the electricity review and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation review, entitled: Efficient, Affordable and Equitable: Creating a Brighter Future for the Northwest Territories Electricity System.
This document is a significant achievement. Through the actions the Government of the Northwest Territories will undertake, we will dramatically lower the cost of electricity for most Northwest Territories communities at no additional cost to any other community.
---Applause
And lowering the cost of electricity is a big step towards fulfilling one of the 16th Legislative Assembly’s five strategic initiatives in the Northerners Working Together plan: reducing the cost of living.
The Government of the Northwest Territories response to the two reviews will also go a long way toward meeting some of the goals of the 16th Legislative Assembly set out in that plan. Lowering electricity costs will help our communities be more
competitive and remove barriers to economic development. This, in turn, will lead to sustainable, vibrant communities and a diversified economy that provides all regions and communities with opportunities and choices as envisioned by this Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, other governments and legislative assemblies have tried to make changes to our electricity system. We have built on this work and have developed a response that the 16th Legislative Assembly can be proud of. This response represents real action and real change that will improve the lives of all of our residents.
Most of our communities have very high electricity rates and nine communities in the Northwest Territories currently pay over $1 per kilowatt hour. Electricity rates of 49 cents per kilowatt hour and an enhanced subsidy program will reduce the electricity bills for families in these communities.
Businesses in communities such as Tuktoyaktuk, Fort McPherson, Fort Simpson, Tulita, and Deline will see their bills reduced by 30 to 40 percent.
Businesses in communities such as Sachs Harbour, Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Wrigley and Gameti will see their bills reduced in the range of 70 to 80 percent.
I would like to note that the Government of the Northwest Territories intends to monitor the impact of this substantial change on the prices of goods and services in these communities. This response is a significant achievement for the Government of the Northwest Territories and the system-wide improvements we are making to our electricity system will help stabilize costs for all Northwest Territories residents and protect us against unexpected price increases in the future.
At this time I would like to acknowledge that the Government of the Northwest Territories did not arrive at its response in isolation. We have carefully considered the recommendations of both review teams and the input we received from communities, businesses and organizations throughout the Northwest Territories. We have worked closely with the Members of this House on the response through the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. I believe this process has been a fine example of consensus government at work and I thank the Members for the input they have provided us.
The changes this government is making to our electricity system will have a significant impact on our Territory for years to come. The impact will be a positive one. I think we can all agree that electricity is an essential service and that this service must be efficient, affordable and equitable to all. Today we have taken a major step towards achieving this important goal. We have made a change and it is a change for the better.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The role of volunteers in our communities is critical. Every day countless volunteers contribute to local schools, health centres, recreation programs, fire departments and cultural projects. In addition to formal volunteer roles, many individuals also help a sick neighbour, counsel a troubled youth, or share and pass on important cultural knowledge to others. Most of these volunteers work away quietly, knowing that their only compensation, if they think of compensation at all, will be a heartfelt thank you and the personal knowledge that they have helped make things a little better for their community.
Each year the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs recognizes the important work carried out by volunteers through the Northwest Territories Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program. Now in its 20th year, the program has received nominations for nearly 700 individuals and groups since it was first launched in 1991. While we all know that these individuals and groups nominated represent only a small portion of the many thousands who contribute, the awards program is still an important way of bringing attention to volunteers.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the 2010 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Award winners are:
Ms. Cheryl Hval of Fort Smith in the Individual Category;
Ms. Ruby Trudel of Yellowknife in the Elder Category;
Mr. Brian Nitsiza of Whati in the Youth Category; and
Victim Services Volunteers of Yellowknife in the Group Category.
These award winners are being recognized at a special luncheon during the Northwest Territories Association of Communities Annual General Meeting in Hay River on May 14th. Each one of the volunteer award recipients contribute in a significant way to their communities and to the North as a whole.
On behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories I want to thank them and all volunteers for their contributions, for the role they play in making our communities strong, healthy and sustainable.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Throughout our Territory, graduation and convocation ceremonies are taking place to acknowledge the great and many achievements of our talented and gifted students.
We have over 8,600 students enrolled in grades kindergarten to 12 in 49 schools across the North. As each student progresses to each new grade level, they bring with them many lessons and skills to further build on and develop. We congratulate these students for their hard work and recognize their efforts in successfully completing an important educational milestone.
At the post-secondary level, 2009-2010 saw 102 Aurora College graduates in two degree programs, seven diploma programs and four certificate programs. Of these, I’m proud to say that 68 percent are aboriginal graduates. Four of the aboriginal graduates are from Behchoko. They are distinguished gradates of the Behchoko community-based Teacher Education Program. We intend to welcome these individuals into our schools next fall as teachers and hope others will follow their example.
In addition to our graduates, each year there are hundreds of people participating in other education and training programs. I want to congratulate students from the Adult Literacy and Basic Education programs and Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification programs on their achievements.
Mr. Speaker, this June everyone is welcome to attend the Aboriginal Honour Ceremony at the Weledeh River, hosted by the Yellowknife Campus. As we continue our focus on aboriginal student achievement, I am confident we will see more and more aboriginal students celebrating graduations and pursuing further education.
In closing, I would like to recognize and thank all the educators, the tutors and the classroom assistants committed to helping our students find success in achieving their goals. From kindergarten to post-secondary, the achievements of our students are yours to share. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start today with a quote: “Education is the greatest weapon. With education you are the white man’s equal, without education you are his victim and so shall remain all of your lives. Study, learn, help one another always. Remember there is only poverty and misery in idleness and dreams - but in work there is self-respect and independence.” So said Chief Plenty Coups.
I have in front of me, as I speak, a picture of a proud friend and ally of the white people. He understood the future and he spoke passionately about it. He had the best interests of his people at heart.
In the past, aboriginal people either had to learn the ways of the land and hunted and trapped or you went hungry. Today, for the past couple of decades, we go to school. Education is vital for our aboriginal today; indeed, all people. Education is the way we take ownership of our destiny.
We learn how to use the old weapons, to keep them clean, respect them and use them, all for the survival of our families, and we didn’t fool with them. So we must take the same serious action and conviction in our educational institutions today. They are our modern weapons. We need to use them well for the survival of our families in the modern world. It has often been said the pen is mightier than the sword. That is so true. We need to keep our pens sharp and learn how to use them well.
Remember that education has always been a big part of the aboriginal way of life. In the olden days the education was one-on-one with our parents and elders, and our university was a live-in university on the land. That is why our elders are so wise and knowledgeable. Then we got sent to residential schools. So many of our people suffered there and continue to suffer today. However, we know that healing is possible and that it is no surprise that aboriginal people are the fastest nation of people to adapt to circumstances around them.
We need to cherish and support our educational institutions and the process of getting an education in both classrooms and on our land. When we say education is the future, I wonder if we not only talk the talk but actually walk the walk and agree that this is so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin today by marking the passing of a great Northerner: Archie Buckley. Many of us enjoyed the rich bounty of our fishery as a staple of our diets thanks to Archie. He was the personification of hard work and respectful, sustainable resource use. Archie Buckley lived what we talk about when we say local food for local people.
The spirit demonstrated by Archie Buckley is being carried on in the cooperative work of this community. I recently attended an event sponsored by Ecology North, the Northern Nutrition Association and the Yellowknife Community Gardens Collective celebrating the diversity and sustainability of local production. While these people grow their own food, they also grow the future self-sufficiency and health of this community.
Another example is the Food Security Advisory Group comprised of members from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Community Services, City of Yellowknife, Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, Health and Social Services, GNWT, and Nunavut Public Health Association. The groups came together to undertake a food system assessment and community action plan for Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah. This initiative responds to findings and Championing Well-being in the City of Yellowknife’s social plan and aims to strengthen program and policy action in the area of food security and chronic disease.
The Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah Food System Assessment and Community Food Action Plan has been produced and is attracting attention. There are at least two more NWT communities interested in undertaking their own community food action plans. I recommend its contents and approach to all Members. As the contents of the action plan show, we have great territorial strength to draw on in such areas as local food production, community commitment and support services, but there are great challenges in such areas as the capacity of NGOs to meet demand for food and sustain their operations, our high food costs and gaps in policy and economic development support.
Promoting healthy choices and lifestyles is a priority of the 16th Legislative Assembly. Food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, regionally produced and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. That requires a complete and collaborative government approach to meet our citizens’ core needs.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
It is everything from progressive taxation to agricultural land use plans, wise wildlife stewardship and land availability, from support to local food production enterprises and our school and early childhood development programs. Our local food producers’, our community gardeners’ and advocacy groups’ work demonstrate that much can be done to strengthen food security for all through partnership, building capacity, economic development and policy renewal. I congratulate this excellent work and look forward to full support from this government. Mahsi.
The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to wade into the debate on our redesigned licence plates today. I cannot express strongly enough how glad I am that we kept the polar bear shape. Judging by what I heard from my constituents, I suspect that there might have been a revolt amongst our residents if the shape had been changed.
I can accept that there was a need to modernize and update the slogan, so that change is spectacular. But I am having difficulty with the new design, the added colour and the silhouette. I have to wonder if in the dead of winter in the dark and the snow, the plate won’t look anything more than a dirty white blob.
Mr. Speaker, I am most offended by the minimal -- to quote the Minister -- fee that the residents must pay for this new improved plate. Generally when there is an initiative from the government, it is paid for by the government, but not so in this case. The government is telling us that they have a new, improved, wonderful item for us and, oh, by the way, you have to buy one. We already pay a healthy fee to register our vehicles annually, $82.60 for a car. Why are we paying these fees? I believe, as do a number of residents, that the cost of these new plates should be covered by our annual vehicle registration fee and/or the government’s O and M budget. It is not much money, Mr. Speaker, but with this new cost, the government is nickel and diming our residents.
Another aspect of this change which is increasingly annoying for me is that we are being forced to spend the extra $10. There is no option to refuse, no option to keep the old plate until it needs to be replaced. I hate waste, Mr. Speaker, and I have great difficulty throwing out something which is still in perfectly good working order. So I wonder why we can’t keep the old plate until it actually isn’t in good working order. My colleague Mr. Menicoche asked the question yesterday of the Minister and I didn’t hear an answer.
Last, but certainly not least, I’ve heard from constituents that the consultation was lacking. Where was the public’s chance to provide input into the new design? If the Department of Transportation had at least posted three or four new designs on their website and then asked residents to vote for their favourite, that would have sufficed. The department certainly consulted with industry partners and some user groups, but any input from the general public was sadly lacking.
Mr. Speaker, change is always difficult and I know the government is trying to be efficient with our dollars, but I have to disagree with their approach in this case. We should be allowed to keep the old plate until it’s necessary for a new one and the government should cover the cost of the new plates from vehicle registration fees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
PASSING OF FREDERICK NORWEGIAN
Mr. Speaker... [English translation not provided]
Frederick Frank Norwegian of Jean Marie quietly passed away on Friday, May 7th, 2010. The passing of a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend is so profound that every one of our hearts has felt the heartache. Fred is survived by his mother Bella, his wife, Mavis, his daughters Maxine, Connie, Angela and Pamela, his grandsons Kirby, Zachary, Ethan, and his siblings Douglas, Billy, Minnie, Margaret, Andy, Gladys, Jerry and their families.
Freddie, as siblings and close relatives strongly called him, was born to Bella and late father Louie Norwegian in Jean Marie River on August 9th, 1941. He spent most of his early childhood in Jean Marie River. He grew up in a household with hardworking parents and a community rich in their language, culture and understanding of their relationships with the land and all other living things.
At the age of 12 he spent a year at the Sacred Heart School in Fort Providence and then continued his education in Jean Marie River, Yellowknife, and later he went down to Fairview College where he took up agricultural studies. After completing Grade 12 he went to work on an experimental farm in Fort Simpson. When the experimental farm shut down, Freddie made a career change and went to work for the federal government and continued with his education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Freddie married his wife, Mavis, in Fort Simpson on June 26th, 1970. Together with two daughters, Maxine and Connie, they moved to Yellowknife in the mid-1970s. Freddie continued to work with the federal government as Manpower manager. While in Yellowknife, he had two more daughters, Angela and Pamela.
In 1997, upon the request of his aunt, Sarah Hardisty, Freddie applied for and accepted the position of the band manager in Jean Marie River. Freddie has worked for the Jean Marie River First Nation in many capacities: band manager, sub-chief, acting chief, and a full term as chief throughout the past 13 years.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
The greatest love in his life was his family. Freddie and Mavis had been married 39 years, just one month short of 40 years. Together they raised four beautiful daughters: Maxine, Connie, Angela and Pamela. He wanted his daughters to grow up wise, courageous, respectful and successful, and it is very evident that he achieved this. His daughters and wife, Mavis, were all there by his bedside to say their goodbyes as he took his last breath. As painful as it was to let him go, they were brave and courageous. I extend my personal blessings of courage, strength and wisdom in their time of grieving.
Freddie lived his life the best way he could. He had integrity and tremendous strength. This strength stayed with him right until the end. We are very thankful for all the special moments and fond memories we shared with Freddie. He will continue to live within our hearts and minds. Mahsi cho.
The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline Project. Mr. Speaker, last month the National Energy Board wrapped up final discussions in Inuvik, and hopefully if all goes well the NEB will make their final ruling regarding the megaproject within the next several months. These discussions have been ongoing in one way or another for decades.
Every time this project gets delayed it goes through another series of discussions, and the chance the program won’t happen increases. This may be okay for the southern NWT, but the north needs this project. We do not have diamond mines to generate huge employment. We need these jobs. We need the businesses in the Beaufort-Delta and right down the valley. We need hope.
I’m concerned about the sunset clause extension regarding the Mackenzie Gas Project, but I’m more concerned about the lack of coordination of the government to identify this project as a major priority. Previously the Government of the Northwest Territories Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment filed comments to the National Energy Board on recommendations by the Joint Review Panel, because the National Energy Board ultimately has the final decision on further developments in the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline. These comments are very important and must be given the highest priority.
As I mentioned previously, businesses in the North have been hoping for this project and have shovels already in the ground by now. We’re struggling. If this project, for whatever reason, is delayed again, many businesses in our region may not be able to hold on. That is a shame.
I urge this government to monitor these developments closely, to ensure economic interest of the Territory is maintained and that the project continues to move forward. Considering the importance of this project in the Northwest Territories, this government must be front and centre while clearly promoting the timelines and deliverables with parties including applicants, stakeholders and companies. Now it is time this government works with the federal government and the ministerial offices, such as Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, and Chuck Strahl as the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Now it is time this government works with the federal government and the ministerial offices of Tony Clement, Minister of Industry; and Chuck Strahl, the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs; and the Minister of Canadian Northern and Economic Development Agencies, to ensure getting the prioritization it deserves. This government must devote resources and attention to this megaproject that it deserves. Without this commitment we don’t look very serious. I’ll have more questions for the Minister at the appropriate time regarding the pipeline.
The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use my statement today to highlight Nurses’ Week, which is the week of May 10th to 16th. Nurses have been, and remain, the cornerstone of our health care system. I want to share with you part of an e-mail that I received from a friend of mine who has been in and out of hospital the past few years.
“Hi, Dave. Just got out of Stanton. Second time this month after another bout of pneumonia. My treatment and care were, as always, first class. We are blessed with nurses and doctors who really care about people.”
It is treatment like this that our residents receive from our dedicated and professional nurses across the Territories, from the small community nurse to the ER nurses at our busiest hospital, Stanton, that we are to be very thankful for. They are on duty for us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we are to be very thankful for that.
My wife, Amanda, happens to be a nurse and I must say that I get to see firsthand how passionate she is about her job. That passion is something that is common and I see it in all nurses that I meet.
I believe it is very important today to recognize the contribution of all nurses, especially during Nurses' Week. To all the nurses across the Territory, thank you very much for all you do for us.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now we have a great opportunity for the future of education in the NWT. The last 10 years have shown some encouraging trends in terms of graduation rates. Enrolment in post-secondary programs and academic interest in the North continues to grow. There has never been a better time to take steps to create a northern university.
Aurora College, now over 40 years old, offers degree programs in nursing and education through partnership with southern universities. Enrolment at Aurora College is increasing. There is an opportunity to strengthen linkages with colleges in the Yukon, Nunavut, and institutions in the South and consolidate our efforts towards an aurora university.
The Aurora Research Institute and the new GNWT Science Agenda come with built-in links to universities and scholars from all around the world who are interested in studying the North. University-level studies in science could evolve from the activities of both the Aurora Research Institute and the aspects of a science agenda.
This Assembly could take the leadership of developing that partnership into a pan-territorial university with our sister territories. The timing couldn’t be better.
We do not need a conventional university with lawns and buildings and vines, although that would certainly be nice, but we could use the existing structure to create a uniquely northern academic program with an aboriginal focus following the unfortunate closure of the First Nations University earlier this year.
There is a void in aboriginal-focused programming that the Northwest Territories certainly could fill. University programs in the NWT would attract motivated individuals ready to make valuable contributions to our North. Somebody who came to the NWT to pursue a degree program might choose to stay here, live, work, raise a family, because we have many opportunities and possibilities for advancement for those new graduates that they would not find in the South.
I urge this government to consider the future of an aurora university seriously. We have the opportunity right now to build upon existing infrastructure and northern success to create a unique northern Canadian degree-granting post-secondary institution that could work.
In closing, I’ll say that education... There is no better gift that we can give any future generation. A pan-territorial university would be a legacy and a hallmark for many generations beyond us.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With hearing all this discussion about the new polar bear licence plate, it has me thinking about the polar bear brand and how it has been for so long associated with the Northwest Territories. It took many years to create that brand and that association.
I have an idea I’m going to throw out to the Minister. Ms. Bisaro said she doesn’t like to see waste and what are we going to do with those old licence plates. Since they cost $10 to buy the new ones, I think people should be allowed to trade their old one in for a new one. Then the Government of the Northwest Territories, through their tourism, ITI, should take all of those licence plates and offer them to tourists that are coming to the Northwest Territories, for $20; hey, not $10, $20. Our polar bear licence plates are so popular that people steal them off our cars when we go down south. Here’s a great opportunity.
You can’t just come here and buy a licence plate if you don’t need one, for some reason, except for those little dinky ones they sell to tourists with three zeros on them. I think that we should allow residents of the Northwest Territories to turn in their now obsolete licence plates in exchange for a new one and the government should then sell them at $20 to the tourists. The tourists will go away happy and there’s a whole industry that could generate some revenue for the Department of Transportation or some enterprising person through ITI.
I am a bit of a connoisseur of options and I’ve often been at auction sales where old licence plates come up and they very often go for a very high price. Back in the days when they had the year of them on, particularly some people are collectors and they like to get the sequence of all those years.
On another idea regarding the polar bear, I understand that we’re going to be replacing the polar bear sign at the 60th parallel coming into the Northwest Territories. I would again like to suggest that this not be taken and dropped off at the local landfill. I think you should sell it to the highest bidder. That is a trademark in the Northwest Territories. Those of us who have lived here for many years have a picture every time our kids go by there. The first time we took our children out of the Northwest Territories they had to have the ceremonial picture beside that particular sign. Now, if you’re going to tear it down, take it down and put up a new sign, I suggest that there will be people interested in buying that. Put it on line, auction it off, sell it to the highest bidder. There’s another revenue opportunity for the department.
I think that we have lots of fond memories of our association with the polar bear. The many debates over the trademark, who owned the trademark, whether the bear should be three-legged, four-legged. I’m happy to have a polar bear diamond on my hand here. It’s a great trademark.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
At the time of a loss, family members find their stress levels very high and their tolerance levels very low. Recently several families in Tu Nedhe had to deal with loss of loved ones and looked to the government for support. These families looked for support during the time of the illness of a family member and leading up to death, and support after the loss of a loved one, whether that be a father, mother, daughter or son.
When family members lose other family members, the support for the government should be swift and people should not be made to wait days, weeks and sometimes even months before support for travel, accommodations and, ultimately, caskets come from the government.
I had a situation where an elder over 90 years old, that communicated in her aboriginal language almost exclusively, had a very difficult time dealing with Health and Social Services to provide accommodations for family members that had to be in that community feeding her country foods, cooking for her, providing bed care and translation. Overall, these family members needed to leave their community to provide support to their mother. The Department of Health and Social Services did provide service and accommodation, however I had to deal with the Minister frequently in order for that support to be maintained.
When a family member loses a loved one, there is often an issue with the casket. Family and the community often want to put their money together to upgrade the casket to something a little better than the basic casket provided by the department. Even when families are indigent they often want to put their loved ones in a nice casket. It is the last thing they can do for that person, that loved one.
The Department of Health and Social Services does not seem to have a clear policy to deal with these issues; policies that make the lives of individuals who are already going through the hardest thing they have to deal with in their lives a little bit easier, a policy that respects the people that have to utilize this social service. Later on today I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize a very impressive young constituent from Range Lake. His name is Timothy Riviere. I know he’s known to all of us because his mother works here, but he’s famous in his own right because for the third year in a row he’s going to be shaving his head -- well, shaving his hair -- to raise money for cancer. He is also captain of his own relay team this year called Relay Rink Rats for Relay for Life, which raised the money as well.
His personal goal is to raise $3,500 this year. I’m sure he will meet that. There are pledge sheets all around this building, so I would encourage anyone who works in this building to make a contribution. I think this is a very impressive action for a 12-year-old young man.
I’d like to also take this opportunity to thank his other friends and people all around the city and the Territories who will be stepping up to the plate to raise money for cancer.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Mr. Timothy Riviere and his mother, Heather Riviere.
I’d like to recognize two Pages from Colville Lake: Dakota Orlias and Corey Kochon. They are Pages in the House this week.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. At this time I’d also like to recognize two Pages I have here from my riding: Katrina Stewart and Kaylynn Koe.
I’d also like to take this time to recognize all the other Pages in the House who have served us this week. Thank you for your work and the opportunity to partake in this process. Thank you, again.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge Emma Pope from the Northwest Territories. Ms. Pope received her recognition through cadets in the national marksmanship competition in Whitehorse and she’s going to represent the Northwest Territories at a national marksmanship competition in Edmonton. I want to congratulate Emma and to ask her to make us proud and to keep her eyes on her dreams. Thank you.
