Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak about Treaty Celebration Days. This is the season for it. Earlier, in my constituency of Nahendeh, there were a number of celebrations that took place to coincide with National Aboriginal Day.
In the Nahendeh area, treaties were signed in 1921. Treaty celebrations have been going on since 1921, and this is the 79th Annual Treaty Celebration Days that took place in the Nahendeh area.
At the time treaties were signed, the federal government comes and gives five dollars a year to all of the Dene who were treaty. Along with that, there are provisions of nets and shells that, as a treaty payment in 1921, were for use of the land, I guess. That is something the Dene people have kept as a peace treaty agreement.
To coincide with these celebrations, there are usually elections. Today, I want to speak about the two elections that happened in the Nahendeh area. In Fort Liard, the chief, Harry Deneron, did not run again. We have a new chief in Fort Liard, Judy Kotchika. We have councillors Stanley Bertrand, Daniel Lomen, Steve Kotchika, Jim Duntra and Kimberly Deneron.
In the Liidit' Koe First Nations election in Fort Simpson, Chief Rita Cli was re-elected again, with council Gerry Antoine, Andy Norwegian, Keyna Norwegian, Ron Hardisty, Hazel Isiah, Kevin Menicoche, Ernest Cazon and Bert Tsetso. These are the chiefs and band councils of the two communities. I would like to congratulate all of them on their elections. They are in for two years. In the Deh Cho, as we know, it is a very busy place with the oil and gas, logging and so forth, so they will have a very busy time in the next two years. I wish them all the luck in the Liidti' Koe First Nation and the Akaitcho Dene First Nation. Mahsi.
-- Applause