Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I stand in this House to recognize an amazing woman that I have had the pleasure of knowing for almost 23 years. Martina Norwegian was one of this year's winners of the Wise Women Awards 2016. I had the pleasure of meeting Martina about a month into moving to Fort Simpson. We were looking for an individual to look after my children and lucked out. Her name was given to us, and luckily for my children and myself, she agreed to look after them. It was a great experience for my children. I would consider one of the reasons my children love Fort Simpson so much is because of Ms. Norwegian.
Ms. Norwegian was born and raised in Liidlii Kue and comes from humble beginnings. She understood the importance of education. I had the pleasure of watching her advocate for education as a private citizen. Then, she took the steps to get involved with the local divisional education authority and was elected to be Fort Simpson's representative to the Deh Cho Divisional Education Authority. Once there, she was elected to be the chairperson. Like the award said, both local and divisional councils relied on her wise words and direction during her time on both community councils.
I realize I cannot do justice to Ms. Norwegian today in this short Member's statement, but I would like to highlight a few of her accomplishments and achievements that were identified in her nomination. Ms. Norwegian is very much involved in the community. Ms. Norwegian is very interested in spreading the word of God and is a representative for On Eagle's Wings Children's Ministry. To add to her commitment, she is heavily involved in the group of ladies that are fundraising to build a new church. Now, you would think that with all this work going on in her life, she would not have a lot of time to do other things. Wrong. This lady has found time to be part of the historical society, helping preserve the local history for over 25 years. Ms. Norwegian is a very strong leader in the community and region and one that people look up to. She has a quiet and caring nature that is always helping to empower other woman to do their best. In closing, I would like to congratulate Ms. Norwegian on winning the award and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
