Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe it is time to rename some things. In the last year and half of this Assembly, I propose we start with the lake just down the street here, Great Slave Lake, Mr. Speaker.
Great Slave Lake, it was named after a Cree word “Awokanek” which refers to the Dene people being "Great Slaves." Mr. Speaker, it's 2022. I don't know why we still have a name that honours the history of slavery between warring nations long ago that was essentially picked by European explorers.
Mr. Speaker, I love that lake, it is a great lake, but its name does not do it justice. There are plenty of different names. There are Indigenous names. I think we need to go out and consult with the public and find a new name that does not honour slavery in this generation.
Mr. Speaker, next, moving up the valley we have the Mackenzie Mountains and the Mackenzie River, both named after Alexander Mackenzie. But wait, named after two different Scottish men named Alexander Mackenzie.
The first, the explorer was on that river for about three months, got up to Tuk, and found out it wasn't the Arctic Ocean, it wasn't the Pacific Ocean, and so he turned around.
Mr. Speaker, Alexander Mackenzie did some good cartography work but, honestly, in the realm of explorers does not deserve the great Deh Cho River.
Next, Mr. Speaker, the mountains the glorious Mackenzie Mountains were named after Alexander Mackenzie, Canada's second prime minister who, really, was a pretty unremarkable prime minister. Honestly, his biggest accomplishment was implementing the Indian Act and his countless efforts to assimilate Indigenous peoples. In fact, Mr. Speaker, Alexander Mackenzie, when he was Prime Minister those mountains weren't even part of Canada. There's no evidence he ever set foot in those mountains or knew anything about them at all, Mr. Speaker.
I'm going to read you a quote from Alexander Mackenzie, our second prime minister, who we have decided to honour by naming one of our great mountain ranges after: "It is the mission of the AngloSaxon race to carry the power of the AngloSaxon civilization over every country in the world."
Now Mr. Speaker, I recognize that many of our first prime ministers said ridiculously racist things like that, and had white supremacist views. But I don't believe that in this day and age we have any reason to honour him by naming the beautiful Mackenzie Mountains after him. Mr. Speaker, let's do our history, our culture and our geography a favour and rename some things.
I'll have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
