Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, Mr. Speaker, Inuvik lost one of our young people when Marshall Sayers perished while skipping on the ice with a snowmobile. I can't help but think that without alcohol, this would not have happened. Too many people in the NWT die because of alcohol. If we took out all the alcohol-related deaths, many more of our family members would still be with us today.
As young people, many of us have gone through this, and now, as adults, and hopefully grown up, we speak from experience when we ask that you not follow the same lifestyle. It's just not worth it. So many opportunities are out there for you to succeed and make a positive contribution to your community and the NWT.
With graduation festivities coming up in the next few weeks, we ask that everyone be careful and stay sober; enjoy your special day. I ask this as someone who has gone through it and found out that it's just not what it's cut out to be. I knew Marshall and I'm saddened by the fact that he was taken from his family before he should have been. I'm sure that the family will agree with me when I ask all the young people to learn from this and not have his death be in vain. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause