It is with pleasure that I rise to announce that cabinet has approved requests from two Northwest Territories communities to change their names. On July 1, 1992 Spence Bay will officially become Taloyoak, and Snowdrift will officially become Lutselk'e.
A majority of the residents of Spence Bay signed a petition requesting that the traditional name for their community be officially approved. The name "Taloyoak," which means "caribou blind," was the name for the area before the community was established and has remained in use by the Inuit despite the existence of the name Spence Bay.
Mr. Speaker, the Lutsel K'e Dene Band passed a resolution requesting that the official name of Snowdrift be changed to Lutselk'e, the name which has been used for their area since long before the community was established. Lutselk'e means the place of the lutsel, which is a small fish common in the waters of the area.
It is our hope that all the people of the Northwest Territories and of Canada will begin to use these traditional names and in doing so help to preserve the history, culture and language of northern people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.