(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make a short statement on national aboriginal languages day. First, I would like to thank the Assembly of First Nations for declaring this special day. I hope that all aboriginal people will join in celebrating this day.
We have much to celebrate. Our languages in the NWT are still alive and we still use them every day. Our government is the only legislature in North America which has given official status to aboriginal languages.
We can learn a great deal from the achievements of French people in the NWT and in Canada as a whole about language rights and how to fight for these rights.
Why do I care about my language, Inuktitut? I grew up speaking my language. All my cultural knowledge and language was taught to me in a traditional way. We live in a very cold climate, and by understanding my language I learn more about the climate. I am very happy today that I can speak Inuktitut and I can think better using my knowledge of Inuktitut. I can go out on the land and remember the stories I was told in my language as a child and I feel happy about those times. I do not think I could have learned all this traditional knowledge if I had not spoken Inuktitut.