Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Joe Enook for his many years of dedicated service to education in the Baffin region.
---Applause
Mr. Enook is stepping down this week after nine years as chairperson of the Baffin Divisional Board of Education.
Many of you know that in 1985, the first divisional board of education in the Northwest Territories was formed in the Baffin region. Mr. Enook became its first chairperson and has been chairperson ever since. Previous to that, he was the chairperson of the Baffin Regional Education Society, the structure that preceded the divisional board.
Joe is very proud of the fact that he's a graduate of the Northwest Territories education system. He attended the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre, as it was known then, in Iqaluit.
Joe believes that education is critically important to the young people of Nunavut and he believes strongly that the education system must meet the needs of students. He has worked tirelessly to achieve that.
Two weeks ago, Joe Enook became a grandfather. His little granddaughter, Jennifer, will start school in the first kindergarten class in Nunavut in 1999. In that class, Jennifer will learn Inuktitut and be taught by an Inuk teacher. Her schooling will reflect the commitment and dedication of her grandfather, and others like him, to build an Inuit system of education for the children of Nunavut.
Today, Madam Speaker, I would like to publicly recognize Joe Enook's commitment to education in the Northwest Territories throughout his years as chairperson of Baffin Divisional Board of Education and to thank him for his contribution. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
---Applause