Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Tuesday, June 13th, an article appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on the perceived decline of Inuit art in the north. The individual responsible for these comments is Mr. George Swinton, a Winnipeg artist and a semi-retired professor. He argues that the pace of change over the past 50 years has been so swift that Inuit carving has suffered, as a result. Mr. Swinton also argues that the introduction of workshops and power tools has lead to the creation of nouveau Inuit art which is more detailed and naturalistic compared to the old, almost prehistoric look of the original art.

Mr. Speaker, I find this article disturbing for several reasons. First, the Inuit culture will continue to evolve over time. This is a natural process that cannot be halted. Inuit cannot close themselves off from the rest of the world and live isolated in the past. I am very confident that our language and our culture is still strong and will continue to survive even in the rapidly-changing world in which we live.