(Translation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I start my statement, I would like to congratulate Mr. John Ningeongan of Coral Harbour on his successful election as mayor. I am looking forward to working with him during his term of office.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be able to say a little bit about my father, Mathias Awa, who is here today. Awa was born and raised in my constituency near Repulse Bay. His father, Uyarak, and his grandfather, Awa, were guides and companions of Knut Rasmussen on his Fifth Thule expedition. Mr. Rasmussen talks a great deal about his reports. When Awa grew up and got married, he worked hard on his trapline and managed to buy his furs while whaling at Arctic Bay. He and his wife carried them by dog team over the land to Igloolik in the summertime, in June. When he came to the fishing lake, he rafted the boat down the river, hauled it up and walked all the way back to pick up his wife and dog team. Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, we should start a new movie, "An Incredible Journey."
Awa's children are now well on their own. A couple of them you may well know: Simon Awa is an Inuktitut production manager with the CBC; Joanna Awa is with TV Aqsarniit as a former colleague of George Tuccaro, Paul Andrew and Marie Wilson.
My statement is not to tell you about how well we did, but rather to tell you that as a father, Awa worked very hard with his children and helped them in achieving what they can do best, and he has been a member of the local education council as long as his younger children can remember. He is now 70 and is still working.
Mr. Speaker, my message is, let us all work with our constituents and urge parents to work with their children to stay in school and make the most of their abilities. We have been criticizing the Department of Education and school staff for lack of achievement by our children. The parents must take more responsibility in encouraging and supporting their children to work and stay in school.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let us tell our children that, whatever career they choose, they must work to be the very best they can be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause