Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to express my appreciation of the aboriginal languages day. The aboriginal languages which have been recognized as the official languages in the Northwest Territories are, indeed, numerous, but it shows the tolerance that we have for each other which has been passed on to us by our ancestors. They came before us, and they used and formed the languages which we speak of today. However, they have been formed over many centuries and they have always had much to do with the land and the surroundings in which they lived. Much like other cultures, their language increased with the amount of interaction with other peoples.
The language of Inuit varies from region to region and from community to community, in fact, it varies from country to country and it varies within the communities. For example, I speak a dialect with is very distinct from those in other communities. Even inside the community of Baker Lake there are four or five different dialects spoken. This is because the community is made up of people from the surrounding area, but it also has people who moved in during the 1960s. The people to the north, from the southeastern Kitikmeot area, form one dialect. There are people from the south who come from the Paalirmuit area who form another dialect. There are those who originated in the Igloolik/Repulse Bay area who form another dialect. There are those who come from the Back River/Garry Lake area who speak another dialect.
My most recent ancestors were probably closest to the community of Baker Lake. They came from the Thelon River area which specifically is the Aberdeen Lake and the Schultz Lake area. In today's society we also have people who are transient and come from various communities in the Baffin region. I would also like to add at this point there are so many times when I am being interviewed by Inuktitut CBC personnel that we often revert to English because we have difficulty in clarifying ourselves.
Mr. Speaker, by tolerance the people who have varying languages are able to live together and form a very cohesive group. The people who I represent prove that. I have much respect for the people who work in this Assembly as interpreter/translators because I know we are not always the easiest people to work with because so often we want something done yesterday. Today, Mr. Speaker, I give my applause to them.