Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to draw attention to Richard Van Camp, a young Dogrib Northerner from Fort Smith, who has just won a very prestigious journal literary prize.

Richard Van Camp's first novel, The Lesser Blessed, was published in 1996. A year ago the novel was translated into German and the German rights sold at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The translation of Richard's book has now won the youth literature prize in the juvenile fiction category. Richard says he is delighted to have won the prize, as I am, and as are all Northerners, Mr. Speaker.

He does not yet know what the monetary reward is connected to this prize, but whatever it is he intends to put it towards his masters degree in creative writing which he is pursuing at the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, Richard has been writing for ten years and has won several other awards before this, including awards for his two children's books, A Man Called Raven, and, What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? In 1997 he was also recognized by the Canadian Authors' Association as the most promising Canadian author under 30. Richard says that he loves the North and Northerners very much, and he intends to celebrate life in the North in all his writing. His second book, a collection of short stories called, Angel Wings Splash Pattern, is currently at the printers and will be released shortly.

I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that we are all proud that Richard is a Northerner and that he is doing such a great job through his writing of celebrating life in the North, both in Canada and beyond. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members in this House to join me in expressing our most sincere congratulations to Richard Van Camp. Thank you.

-- Applause