Date
May
14
2007
Members Present
ITEM 1: PRAYER
Assembly Members
Debates of May 14, 2007 (day 6)
Topics
Statements
Member’s Statement On Juno Award Recipient Leela Gilday
Bill Braden
Great Slave
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It’s always a pleasure to stand in this Assembly and acknowledge the significant milestones and achievements on behalf of constituents and residents. In this light, it was a great moment for a tremendous northern family, a Yellowknife family and the whole NWT to see that Leela Gilday was acknowledged as the Juno Award winner for aboriginal recordings...
---Applause
Speaker:
SOME HON. MEMBERS
Hear! Hear!
Bill Braden
Great Slave
...for her second album Sedze. It was only the latest in a string of awards for this talented young woman, Mr. Speaker. She had previously been recognized by the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards as the best female artist and songwriter for her first CD Spirit World, Solid Wood. That CD is also recognized as the best folk album.
Leela Gilday is a First Nations singer born and raised in Yellowknife. Of course, the achievements of her father, Bill, are known far and wide. He has a long history in Yellowknife and the NWT. He’s the founder and the mainstay of the Gumboots, which have several CDs behind them and makes a tremendous contribution to the students in this community through his leadership of the Sir John Franklin bands and choirs.
Mr. Speaker, his daughter, Leela, was the first northerner to graduate with an honours degree in classical music from the University of Alberta. She wowed the whole country with her tremendous performance at the opening ceremonies for the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse.
The sacrifices that Leela and many others like her make in the performing arts is sometimes something that goes without a lot of recognition. This is the season of festivals coming up, Mr. Speaker. We have several going on in the NWT. In Fort Smith, the South Slave Friendship Festival; the Midway Lake Music Festival up north; in Fort Simpson they will be hosting the Open Sky Festival; and here in Yellowknife, of course, Folk on the Rocks and the Summer Solstice Festival.
To the volunteers, the performers and the sponsors, Mr. Speaker, they all deserve a standing ovation and the best wishes for a great summer season to come. Thank you.
---Applause