Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bill 6, National Aboriginal Day Act, proposes to designate June 21st as a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories.

Creating this holiday will be a significant acknowledgement of the importance of aboriginal people and their cultures in the rich mosaic that is the Northwest Territories. It will give all Northerners a chance to celebrate and participate in special community activities.

The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. David Krutko, deserves much of the credit for this idea. He began this work last year on National Aboriginal Day when he asked the Premier to make June 21st a statutory holiday. Several municipalities, aboriginal organizations and community groups have supported this idea.

In June 2001, the Premier featured this initiative in his opening statement of the current session. He described how this act could define the Northwest Territories as a place that acknowledges the aspirations of aboriginal people while respecting the diversity of all our residents. This is a very powerful sentiment. We look forward to the NWT celebrating its first National Aboriginal Day statutory holiday in 2002.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to describe this bill. I would be pleased to answer any questions from committee members.