Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about our traditional activities taking place right now back home in Nunakput. Each year geese return to provide a good source of food for many constituents in Nunakput. Not only food — the traditional activity means families being able to spend quality time together. This is important, because this allows elders the opportunity to pass on more traditional knowledge to the younger generation.
Mr. Speaker, with the high cost of food in all my Nunakput communities, geese hunting provides an important economic food source and is also very healthy. Traditional activities such as geese hunting play an important role for many families all across the North. Although we are in times of fiscal restraint, we cannot forget about the important traditional activities. We must do our part as a government to assist and support traditional, on-the-land and aboriginal language programs. All communities are shore communities, and geese-hunting means travel on both land and sea.
This time of the year also is the time for melting, and I’d like to take the opportunity to remind my constituents in Nunakput, while they are travelling on the land and returning home, to be safe.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
