Mahsi, Mr.
Speaker.
[English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, this Saturday aboriginal graduates, families and friends will meet at the Yellowknife River to celebrate their educational success. It will be the fourth annual Honour ceremony for aboriginal graduates. This special ceremony, held on traditional aboriginal lands, recognizes the importance of heritage in graduates’ identities as well as their past and future successes.
This year 65 aboriginal graduates have been invited to participate in this celebration, including 30 students from Sir John Franklin High School, 22 from St. Patrick High School, and 13 from Aurora College Yellowknife Campus.
Earlier this week the Government of Canada issued an apology to aboriginal people for the Indian residential school era, and many of our people in the Northwest Territories were impacted by that dark period in our history. Aboriginal students who graduate from our schools are a demonstration of the resiliency of Northerners and offer us a bright shining light of hope for a promising future.
The Honour ceremony was created four years ago to focus on the successes of young aboriginal Northerners and to make a special place for tradition and celebration. It is a true community-based event made possible by the work of many volunteers, led by Jane Arychuk and including Roberta Kendi, Doreen Cleary, Brenda Dragon, Johnny Bowden, and Al MacDonald. This celebration is made possible through broad community financial support, including many local businesses, as well as some in-kind support from the Government of the Northwest Territories and from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to participating in this event this weekend as it shows a glimpse of the success and energy that is building in our communities around us.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.