Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement is on a little lighter note. Today, I wish to honour a student from Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk who took part in a literacy contest last spring by writing a letter to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Not only did she take part but she tied for second place in the grade 4 to 6 category with this letter:
Talking to Queen Elizabeth:
Hi, I am Kate Ann Jacobson. I am 11 years, six months, and 24 days old. My school's name is Mangilaluk School. I am in grade 6. My teacher's name is Robin Hayslip. She is nice.
I live in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. We live in the Arctic. We eat pipsi (dryfish). We make this out of fish we catch in the fishnets. We cut it up and hang it until it is dry.
We also eat mipku. We make it out of caribou meat. We grind it up and spread it across screens. Well, that is how my dad makes it. Other people make it different.
Oh yeah, we eat muktuk too. We catch a whale, cut it up and put it in oil and let it dry. We hunt for caribou, polar bears and geese, ducks and ptarmigan. We eat them after we kill them.
We have three stores, and their names are Corner Store, Northern, and Savilles, and two restaurants. Their names are Tuk Inn and Pingo Park, and they are also our hotels.
I like driving around with friends on ski-doo. I love it when Tuk has Beluga Jamboree. It is a big event. There are ski-doo races, kids games, people selling stuff in their tents, and a lot of people go down to the harbour. In the summer, I love going to summer camp. We go swimming, learn how to talk Inuvialuktun, and slide in the mud.
I like to spend time with family. I am proud to be an Inuvialuit.
By Kate Ann JacobsonGrade 6Mangilaluk SchoolTuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada
Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, please join me today in honouring the student's efforts in literacy. Thank you.
-- Applause