On the third Monday in February every year Canadians celebrate Heritage Day. Our heritage is what gives us our identity as individuals, as a community, as a region, and as a country. Celebrating Heritage Day promotes an awareness of the vital need to preserve our heritage for the generations of Canadians to come. In a time when many of us are promoting Canadian unity, it is important to remember that one of the strengths of our nation is its cultural diversity. This is especially true in the Northwest Territories, where a number of cultures maintain their distinct cultural identities while working together toward common goals.
The Heritage Canada Foundation has contacted museums in communities across the NWT to encourage and support participation in Heritage Day. The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre got an early start on Heritage Day by hosting a special event on Sunday, February 16, in conjunction with the Heritage Canada Foundation, the Yellowknife Heritage Committee, the Multicultural Association, the Metis Heritage Association, the NWT Chamber of Mines, the Old Stope Association and Canadian Parks Service. Today, the Heritage Centre is open in the afternoon, and the public is invited to participate in a heritage scavenger hunt.
Aside from encouraging individual community museums to plan their own Heritage Day programs, my department is sponsoring a Heritage Day quiz which will be printed in News North so that people in all parts of the Northwest Territories can participate in Canada's Heritage Day celebration. Thank you.