Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to commemorate the life of Jonas Nadli. This is the third senior to pass away during this session from my riding.

Jonas was born at Mink Lake on April 4th , 1931, to

Elizabeth Matto and Louie Nadli. He had five brothers and his mother, remarried to Joseph Minoza, had two sons after his own father passed away. Together they had one son, Leonard, who was better known to all of us as Gozoah.

As a young child Jonas spent many years in the mission in Fort Providence. When his brothers and himself were allowed to return to the community or to his home, he spoke only French and that certainly created a language barrier for them with his inability to communicate with his parents. He had to have one of his older brothers translate for him. It was very difficult, and most of the time when they talked to their parents it was through gestures,

including trying to tell their parents that they were hungry.

Jonas Married Angelique Thom on July 15th , 1955, and together they raised a son, Michael. Michael and his wife, Shirley, have two children, a son named Danny and a daughter named Rosslyn. Michael is the former grand chief of the Dehcho First Nations.

This July would have marked Jonas and Angelique’s 54th wedding anniversary. Throughout

their life together they lived a very traditional lifestyle in places like Horn River, T’elemia, Leshamie, Big Point, Big Island, and, finally, Fort Providence. Living on the land allowed Jonas to become a very skilled hunter, trapper, provider, and the survivor of many hardships.

Because he loved the traditional lifestyle and had a deep passion for what he did, small challenges such as harsh winters did not slow him down. All his trapping and hunting was done by dog team and he always had a very good, hardworking team of dogs. Because he was very skilled in hunting, many people depended on him. He fed many hungry families over the years. Many people have eaten fish from his nets, rabbits from his snares, meat from successful hunts, and shared tea around the campfire and listened to his many stories and jokes.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted