Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and thank the Minister of Health and Social Services for providing $50,000 towards the Canadian Seniors' Games next year, Mr. Speaker, which I believe will be held in PEI.
Mr. Speaker, for the last games, dozens of seniors from all over the NWT travelled to Whitehorse and participated in all kinds of sports, including golfing and bowling. The oldest athlete, Pakash, is in her eighties and I know I am sure she is now more motivated than ever to train for the next games.
Mr. Speaker, these games are really, really important for the physical, mental and social well-being of our seniors. I believe we are very lucky to have a very energetic, focussed and motivated force among our citizens in our communities. They are truly the backbone of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, when they set their mind to something, they will get the job done, no matter what that might be, whether it be to build the seniors' dementia centre or to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Canada Games. Mr. Speaker, I, for one, am very glad that I may not have to spend every day this summer selling raffle tickets with the seniors to raise all the money to send them to PEI. I was taught to respect our elders and it was uncomfortable at times to see all of them out there every Saturday for the summer raising money.
I know that they will still be out there to sell raffle tickets to raise money because $50,000 is probably not everything that they need, but I know that having this contribution will give them a very important cushion to build on.
Mr. Speaker, the seniors' community, the people, services we provide, the facilities, all of them always need tender loving care and I know that we still have a lot more work to do, but this is a very good move on the part of the government. I congratulate them today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause