Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about gatherings. We are entering the summer months, a real quality time of the year for Northerners and maybe the weather will be a little bit nicer to us this summer, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to start to talk about gatherings in my consistency first. On the 25th to the 27th the Akaitcho government is having their annual general assembly in Lutselk'e, and the Metis Nation is gathering in Fort Smith the first week of July. As always, every summer the people from Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution and the Yellowknives Dene Band will be taking their boats and flying their people to Fort Reliance, or Desnechay (sic) they call it Chipewyan, for a spiritual gathering, a week of celebrations, connecting with their spirituality, reconnecting with family and friends.
Again, Mr. Speaker, there will be gatherings right across the Territories in every community to celebrate Aboriginal Day on the 21st of this month. I am, as is the Premier, very proud to be involved in the Assembly that recognized the importance of that day for aboriginal people in this territory and right across the country, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Dene National Assembly will happen the first week of July and I would like to join the Premier in thanking Mr. Erasmus for his 16 years of dedication to the issues of the Dene and the people of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the Premier mentioned a lot of important positions, but I am sure Mr. Erasmus will join me in thinking about all the elders he has worked with over the years, and there were many elders. Like Mr. Wright from Fort Norman or Tulita who contributed to the knowledge of the Dene people and has taken us in the last 30 years from a hunter-gatherer society to the information age. It took the Russian society 300 years, Mr. Speaker. I would like to congratulate Mr. Erasmus and thank him on behalf of my constituents for his 16 years of dedication. I am sure Mr. Erasmus and his family will be doing well in the future.
I would also like to thank Rick Edjericon for four years as chief of the Yellowknives and wish him luck in his bid to replace Mr. Erasmus. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause