Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, would like to speak briefly on the good work that the society for the disabled is doing in Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, the small communities outside of Yellowknife have an even harder task, I believe, of trying to bring resources to bear to improve the quality of life for disabled people. In Fort Smith, this has been a conscious effort for many years and they have won national awards for what they have done in terms of accessibility in public buildings and such for the disabled. Mr. Speaker, the concern is how do we support the people in the small communities? How do we support those societies that often labour in obscurity, unable to get the resources that they need? This is a difficult task. It is a request that requires funding from already scarce resources, but I know in every community there are committed, dedicated people who have devoted their lives to helping the disabled and to making the quality of life better for them.
So I am very happy to hear concerns raised in this House about this issue. We did have a briefing from the Northwest Territories Society for the Disabled. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the very many people in Fort Smith. Sister Sutherland is the most prominent spokesperson in our community who has laboured tirelessly for the disabled and done much work on their behalf.
Mr. Speaker, there is not enough money to go around. I do recognize and want to acknowledge the fact that Education, Culture and Employment has given them about $29,000 for a project under the Community Skills for Work Program, which I think is a good start. That support is much appreciated, but I think we should never forget how hard these folks work for our citizens, for our constituents, for our family and our friends in often relative obscurity with insufficient resources. They deserve, I believe, all the recognition and support that we can give them as a Legislature. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause