Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate the literally hundreds of participants, volunteers, sponsors and spectators that made this year's Caribou Carnival an unqualified success. This year's carnival proved so extremely popular, Mr. Speaker, that organizers report that attendance topped 5000 people between noon and 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon, Friday.

Mr. Speaker, although 300 to 400 volunteers were involved to one extent or another, special credit is deserved by Caribou Carnival Association: president, Jackie Coulther-O'Connor; past president, Bill Braden; treasurer, Brenda Donick; secretary, Michelle Andersen; and directors Marty Brown, Rob Roycroft, Jamie Watts, Katherine Robinson and Larry Babiuk, as well as staff members Melissa Daoust and David Radcliffe.

Of course, Mr. Speaker, the stars of the Caribou Carnival are the dog mushers who travel from across Canada and the United States to participate in the Canadian Championship Dog Derby. Members of the Yellowknife Rotary Club also deserve special credit for yet another superb job of managing the races.

I would like to extend special congratulations to Grant Beck of Yellowknife on his defence of his title of Champion in the Canadian Championship Dog Derby. Mr. Beck won this year's three-day championship with an overall time of 11 hours 52 minutes and 28 seconds.

The 12 contestants for Caribou Carnival queen and princess also deserve mention for the approximately $29,000 they raised from ticket sales. Congratulations to Vi Beck on her win as Carnival Queen, and to Carnival Princess Valerie Fillion who is a lifelong resident of Yellowknife and a grade nine student at St. Patrick's High School.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that Caribou Carnival is getting better and better every year. Thank you.

--- Applause