Mr. Speaker, Mr. Joe Tobie, a respected Dogrib elder, passed away last Friday, December 4, 1992. Mr. Tobie was well known to the people of the western Arctic for his Dene language radio broadcasts. He was one of the first two Dene language broadcasters to join C.B.C.'s northern service in 1973. At that time, his job was to cover the Berger Inquiry for radio, and later for television, becoming Canada's first Dene television programmer.

Mr. Tobie played an important role in bringing Dene people together through the medium of radio. His early broadcasts of the Northern Indian Brotherhood Assemblies reached people who were unable to attend and united them in common issues. He was fluent in Dogrib and Chipewyan, and was the only Dene broadcaster to work in two languages.

Mr. Tobie retired in 1989, the longest-serving Dene broadcaster in the north, with 16 years of service. He was a role model in the Dene community, setting an example for many Dene who have since become broadcasters and interpreter/translators. He was universally respected and loved by those who knew him. Our thoughts and sympathy go to his wife, Helen and his family. Mahsi.