Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past weekend, the Hay River Dene Reserve held its annual K'amba Carnival. I would like to congratulate the carnival organizers on another job well done. Every year the carnival gets bigger, better and more organized. This year was no exception. The carnival has become so popular that it attracted people from as far north as Fort Norman, as far south as Fort Smith, as far east as Snowdrift and as far west as Fort Liard. The carnival opened Thursday and ran until Sunday evening. One of the biggest attractions was a two-day dog race which featured about 20 teams. It was a spectacular sight, Mr. Speaker, to watch so many teams in a mass start.
Coinciding with the carnival was the opening of the reserve's senior citizens' home on Friday at 1:00 pm. I would like to thank former Social Services' Ministers, Jeannie Marie-Jewell and Tony Whitford, for their efforts on behalf of the senior citizens.
When I was first elected in 1983, one of my first goals was to provide shelter for senior citizens on the reserve. I am glad this has finally become a reality, however, I must point out for the record, Mr. Speaker, we have not addressed all social housing issues.
Once again, I would like to thank chief Pat Martel, his counsellors and the Dene volunteers who organized the carnival and made it a success. Thank you.