Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I was listening to the news and listening particularly to the sports section. As I listened to the sports section of the news about Don Cherry’s remarks about people eating seal meat and the racist and derogatory words that he used. This is a national hockey personality on CBC and we’re trying to attract people to the Northwest Territories and half of our population is up above the Arctic Circle, people who live off the land and depend on the land, especially people who are around the Beaufort Sea.
Has the Premier given any thought with his colleagues to invite the CBC to ask for an official apology like the Premier from Nunavut has asked Don Cherry? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the piece that the Member heard on the radio this morning shows that we have to be very vigilant in protecting our way of life. The fact that people in the Northwest Territories, and not only northern Canada but other places in Canada practice a way of life where they harvest animals and use it for food and clothing. So every opportunity we have to make sure people and the public are educated on these matters, we will do. I heard that the Environment Minister called for an apology, so we are prepared to do something similar. Thank you.
I’m not too sure if it’s a small percentage of the indication of southern people in Canada as to their views on Aboriginal people and our way of life. We’ve battled through the fur industry, the seal industry and now we know even in today’s world, 2015, we have a sports person of his magnitude with his views on Aboriginal people, especially people in the High Arctic.
So I want to ask again if the Premier can officially write a letter that’s required from our government to ask Mr. Cherry to apologize. We probably want our process to start educating people in that category to the way of life up in the Northwest Territories.
I heard part of what he said and he was referring to baby seals. Obviously, that’s not a big issue with baby seals up here. It’s a different way of harvesting, but it would probably be more effective.
Mr. Cherry, when he was asked about it, didn’t apologize. He just said that he was thinking out loud or something to that effect and it’s probably better if we wrote to the guys that pay his salary to complain about it. Every time he comes on, turn your TV off. Thank you.
---Laughter
Really good suggestion by the Premier. Every time Don Cherry gets on, turn the TV off for about 30 seconds or so. That sends a strong signal.
This is an indication of people in southern Canada, how they look possibly at the views of Aboriginal people, a small segment possibly of that, but it still tells you in today’s world of the educating of our way of life, why it sometimes doesn’t quite fit the southern mentality of how we live.
So, again, I would ask if the Premier would be able to look at the possibility of writing to the people who sign his paycheque, if he could look at issuing an apology to the people that he offended.
I’ll be in contact with others in the fur industry that we interact with and we’ll take appropriate action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Colleagues, I’m going to call a 15-minute recess.
---SHORT RECESS
