Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to take a moment to reflect on all the constituents who passed away in Nunakput since our last sitting.
Mr. Speaker, Matthew Steen was born January 25, 1993. He passed away July 1, 2011. He was the son of John and Joanne Steen, and brother to Shelby, John, Brandon, Julia, and Luke. To all the family and friends and the community members, I wish to express our deepest sympathy and condolences in respect to losing a youth so young in the community is especially hard. I know Matthew will be remembered not only in the community but also in the territory. Mr. Speaker, he was an awesome hockey player and he will be missed by the community of Tuk.
In the community of Ulukhaktok, Ida Kuneyuna passed away August 13
. She had two children:
Mary Banksland and William Joss. She passed away with cancer. She will be sadly missed by the family and friends in the community of Ulukhaktok.
Mr. Speaker, Phillip Elanik was born February 14, 1978. He passed away August 10
. Mr. Speaker,
he was the son of Sandra and Phillip Elanik, the brother to Janette, Shelley, Kendra, and Danny,
husband to Lorraine Elanik, and the father of six children: Grace, Phillip, Elaine, Mathias, Nigel, and Mason. He was a hero to many in the community of Aklavik and I think all of the territory, because just before Christmas there was a house fire in his house and he saved all his children. At that time he severely burned himself, so he should be given some sort of award, I think, coming up in the next sitting. He was a well-respected drum dancer. He danced with all he had, and was truly an inspiration to many. He passed away from cancer, which he was recently diagnosed with. He wanted everybody to know that he and Jesus made it, he said.
Lastly, deeply saddened by the loss of our dear elder, Mary Ivic Ruben, Lil’ Nanuck. We will cherish the memories and all the times we spent together and the times I visited with her. She always had great stories to share. She was a good friend. Even when I was a young boy, we had memories of her coming to Tuk and spending time with my mom and dad in the community.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted