Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we sit in this Chamber and debate the issues of the day here, in areas where it affects the lives of people everyday, life goes on in the communities for the people that we represent. Children are born, and people are passing away.
Yesterday, I attended the funeral of one of my great grand-uncles. He was 92 years old. His name was Julian Antoine. In our language we call him Eechea. This man lived many years on this land, and he was born out on the land, east of Fort Simpson, of the Willow River, north of the Horn Plateau, in a village that no longer exists, where many Dene used to live many years ago. He grew up out there on the land. They say that he was a very able man out on the land. He used to hunt and trap and fish. He was very capable as a Dene, to survive in that kind of environment. Over the years, I was fortunate enough to know him and take direction from him, as one of the advisors to me. I remember that many times he used to call me and tell me a story of somebody that was not doing something right. It was always somebody else. All along in the story, he was talking about me. In this way, he gave me advice and direction, and to this day, I am very thankful for that type of advice that comes from our elders in the community.
I just wanted to also say that this man worked, not only on the land, but in developing the north. He says that he worked on the Distributor. This is a paddle-wheel, the first boats that went down the Mackenzie River. He has seen this whole country, right from Great Slave Lake down to the Delta. He has also worked for the RCMP, with dogs and dog-teams, and getting fish for the winter, and hunting for them in the wintertime.
People like that have to be recognized as helping development here in the north, and keeping our culture going. With that, I would like to thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
---Applause.
