Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mary Rose Wright of Fort Norman, who passed away last weekend after a long illness. Mary Rose Wright was the wife of the former chief, Paul Wright, and the other half of a hard-working and highly respected husband and wife team. She was a daughter of the Cleary family.
Those of us who knew her loved and admired her sense of humour, her wonderful ability to tell stories, and her high-spirited love of life. The Dene have a saying about people like her; she is "a person who holds laughter in her mouth." She was a mountain Dene who was fluent in her language and also in English, and who believed absolutely in the mountain Dene lifestyle. She spent many hours sewing and tanning hides. She is said to have baked the best bread in the Sahtu, and she was a wonderful and enthusiastic dancer. She knew all the spiritual mountain Dene songs and all the drum dances. Throughout her active life, Mary Rose offered her advice and guidance to anyone who needed help and was also particularly helpful to the young people. She was an active member of the band council and of the Dene Nation and attended most of the assemblies through the years as a delegate, sometimes as an interpreter, and very often just as a volunteer.
Mary Rose Wright will be deeply missed by her daughters, Judith and Lillian, and her devoted husband and partner, Paul Wright. My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this wonderful woman. We will never forget her. Thank you.
---Applause