Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I spoke on the obligation this government has to the children of the NWT. Today I would like to speak on elders. Almost every week we hear of an elder somewhere in the NWT passing on. With their passing, Mr. Speaker, we lose a part of our history, a part of who we are, and, most sadly, Mr. Speaker, we continue to lose part of our language.
It is getting to be a huge challenge to keep our language alive when most of us can't speak it. I commend this government for doing what they can to help preserve the languages. It is becoming apparent that my generation, who will soon be the elders, try to maintain our tradition and our language.
Mr. Speaker, we have to continue, as a government and as a people, to try teach ourselves and our children to preserve the languages. Having all the children's programs under one roof close to the school will go a long way in accomplishing this goal.
Mr. Speaker, other than losing a beloved elder, one of the saddest things is that we continue to lay to rest not only our elders, but a part of our history and part of our language. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause