Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s fall and we’re back to work here in the Legislature. Ahead of us, lie many hours of work and meetings indoors. I’ve always been very fond of the indoors. I’ve been in the North for 30 years and, unlike many others who call the North home, I’ve never had much of a penchant for the great outdoors. I don’t think I’ve ever been camping, I hate to admit.

But whether it was sun or rain or wind or cold…

---Laughter

…or bugs, there always seemed a very good reason to stay indoors. I haven’t travelled much and I’ve never been that curious about far away places and I’ve always been quite content and enjoyed whatever it was that I was doing in Hay River; enough not to bother much with vacations or leisure time. I guess I grew up in a family business where it was considered a virtue to stay home and just mind the store, so to speak.

But this summer I took a trip and I think it has changed me for all time. I discovered something that gave me a whole new perspective on the North, the people and even my job as an elected Member. I discovered what has to be one of the most interesting places on earth, a place that drew explorers and sightseers and adventurers and it was right on my doorstep for the last 30 years. I discovered the mighty Mackenzie River.

My husband and I left Hay River on short notice with just a few supplies and, of course, the satellite phone just in case. We drove to Simpson and then on to Wrigley and launched a jet boat. I had heard a lot about the Mackenzie and the communities along its path; but 10 hours later, we were in Fort Good Hope and it was one of those things we’d always said we’d do, but I never believed we ever would. Unbeknownst to me, people in Hay River were taking bets as to which community I would fly back from, but I loved every minute on the river.

We met so many interesting people and friends along the way in the communities; stopping in Norman Wells, Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Wrigley, Simpson and Jean Marie River on our way back. The traffic and activity along the river, the Coast Guard, the tugs, barges, the canoeists, the other jet boats, the fish camps, the rapids, the ramparts and the very important channel markers and buoys were also interesting. How could I have lived in Hay River for 30 years and not known about the Mackenzie River? Was it possible to live in the North and know so little about the connections of the people to each other and to the land? I found something in the visits with the people and the sights and sounds that took me to another place and another time. I would like to request unanimous consent to continue my statement, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I have a different perspective now when we sit indoors and talk about the communities and the residents that I got to know a little bit better this summer in the course of one short week, and I want to thank everyone who we encountered along the way for their kindness and hospitality. Just to name a very few: the Pellissey family in Wrigley, Fred Andrew and his children in Tulita who we stayed with, and the warm hospitality of Chief Ron Piro and the people of Fort Good Hope. Incidentally, I did run into on this trip, as well, Mr. Bell, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Yakeleya and a few others, actually.

---Laughter

A few other elected leaders who were all working of course. I was the only one on holidays.

---Laugher

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, it was a trip of a lifetime and when I got home I bought the boat and I can’t wait. It doesn’t look too much like boating weather today with the snow coming down, but I can’t wait to get back out on the Mackenzie River next summer and then we’ll go right to the Arctic. Thank you.

---Applause