Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin my statement, I wish to make a special announcement. My second son was born just over a month ago, on NWT Day. His name is Hudson; and if pooping and crying is healthy, he certainly is very healthy. Everyone is fine and I wanted to take this first opportunity to announce that.
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Thank you. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month I was invited by a Yellowknife Centre business to go to Japan and attend some aurora meetings. It was at their suggestion that someone with a political point of view come to see how important the aurora is to the Japanese people.
Mr. Speaker, I have come to realize that we have totally misunderstood the profound effect the aurora has on the Japanese people, not unlike the Muslim trek to Mecca or the spiritual walk down the Via Dela Rosa for the Christians.
Mr. Speaker, the Japanese Shinto population, which is all of Japan, loves nature, and to them there is a calling of three important tasks in their lifetime for every Japanese person. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you those three tasks of a lifetime as it was told to me. They were taught in every school, to every Japanese student in that country. Those three tasks are: first, you must visit your ancestral village; second, you must visit Mount Fuji; and the third one sent a true chill down my spine, which is you must see the aurora in your lifetime.
Mr. Speaker, that is beyond profound. That is simply amazing. We have the aurora here and to every Japanese person that is a goal in life, to come see the aurora once. It is no secret that the Japanese people love nature. The Shinto culture loves everything in the world, the importance of every single creature, and believes that it all has its own special spirit. If this sort of sounds familiar, well, it should. It is not that much different from the aboriginal people of the NWT, where they feel strong ties to the land and the creatures around.
Every natural thing is a gift from God, they believe; especially the aurora. It is a true spiritual trek for them in a lifetime, and coming to Canada is truly one of the biggest opportunities they believe they need to take. There is a spiritual draw to the beauty of the aurora that cannot be put into words. Today I am trying to do it justice, but you have to be Japanese to truly understand the full personal fulfillment.
Mr. Speaker, it is time we realize this and embrace this opportunity. Mr. Speaker, at this time I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.