Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the Sahtu region in terms of some of the history and culture that we have in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu, the word itself translates into bear water, which is the closest translation we can have in regards to the English language. It's more than that, however, that's the closest that we could have it said in the English language.
The Sahtu is comprised of 120,000 square miles without our settled land claim area. We have a total of 12,000 square miles of the world's best fishing: Great Bear Lake. As a matter of fact, I think the world's record for trout was caught in that lake there. The elders refer to Great Bear Lake as the heart of Denendeh, the heart of the land here. Also with the recent announcement of Deline being the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada, we can't get any better than that. I'd like to see an NHL official game be held where hockey was born. Hockey night in the Sahtu has a good ring to it there. Mr. Speaker, need I say more about Great Bear Lake?
Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu also has magnificent mountains on the west side of the Mackenzie River. To the west, we have world-class hunting areas in the mountains there. We have a world-class heritage trail that's being developed right now. It's called the Canol Trail that has huge, huge significance to the people in the Northwest
Territories. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, the world's rack for musk-ox was caught in the Mackenzie Mountains.
Mr. Speaker, we have lots to offer in the Sahtu region. We deal with many chiefs, many mayors, and many Metis presidents and land corporations. So our region is very diverse. However, when we put our mind together, we move things in positive ways. So I want to let the people know that in our culture, in Colville Lake and Fort Good Hope, there's stores of legends there. In Colville Lake they have story of creation and the...(inaudible)...of caribou, as one of people have indicated that we were once a caribou people and then we turned back into...So there's lots of history to the Sahtu that I think this government could benefit from and also the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
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