Preservation of the Aboriginal languages is extremely important. I know the territorial government has done some great things because we were recipient of some of those things that were handed down. I know both schools in Fort Smith have access to both languages. Also the Head Start program, we teach some parts of that with the Aboriginal language. I think it's extremely important, though, that we do more than that. In my idea of the polytechnic university/university of the North, I think that there should be different sections to that. The climate change and all that thing with the erosion of the shoreline in Tuktoyaktuk and the warming of the ocean in the Arctic, there should be a special department that is made up in Inuvik.
In Yellowknife, I feel, because we have the hospital here, that the medical centre should be situated here. We should be training our nurses. We should be training our technicians. We should be training our x-ray technicians. That should be our medical centre. The one in Fort Smith should be the place where a lot of the Aboriginal languages are studied, and the holistic approach to medicine could be in that place, also, the more cultural area for our people of the North, so that we preserve the languages.
I have lost my language. My father spoke Chipewyan, both my mother and my father, but they did not teach it to any of us, because it was a barrier to doing well in school in those days. I graduated without learning to speak my language, and I am sure it is a regret today. My parents both passed away, but I know that it is an extremely important part. The more languages you speak, the better it is. Thank you.