Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, in view of the anniversary of the public apology of our federal government with respect to the immeasurable harm of residential school survivors and to them and to their families, I’d like to just say today that for sure I’m not an expert or a counselor or anyone who has any credentials in family relations, but I was a child and I am a parent. One thing I do know, it goes against all the laws of nature to take a child away from their parents. The authority of a parent is tempered with love and security in the bond between them. That authority is misplaced when it is given to someone else who does not have that relationship with a child.

We know about the benefits of secure attachment between a child and a parent, and we know about the immeasurable harm when a child is deprived of that formative bond. To add more injury to the situation in the case of residential schools, there was abuse we know that occurred on a large scale. We also know that another thing that added injury to the situation of the removal of these children was undertaken by people who claimed to be the representatives of Almighty God. That creates further confusion as people go forward in their life when they look for a faith in which to call upon any kind of supernatural intervention or support in their life.

I’d like to applaud the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission throughout our country. I had the privilege of attending the hearings on the Hay River Reserve and hear people go forward, witness after witness, and tell their story of what they had experienced. They were friends of mine

that appeared there, that I have known for years and years, but I didn’t know their story until they mustered the courage to go before that panel that day and tell that story.

It’s very, very difficult to hear of injustice, of discrimination, of intimidation that occurred in such recent history in our country and in our North, but the healing does have to begin somewhere and I believe this is a step towards that. We as a government have an obligation now to support the survivors in every way we possibly can to go on with their lives and to recover from this misplaced policy of this generation and previous generations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past spring the staff and students at N.J. Macpherson School challenged themselves to raise $15,000 to help Stanton Territorial Hospital. For a kindergarten to Grade 5 school with just over 250 students, that was an ambitious goal.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to say not only did the students reach their goal, they surpassed it. They raised just over $17,000 and I’m extremely proud to say that the school is in my riding of Kam Lake.

After hearing that the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation is currently raising money for a dedicated area in our territorial hospital for chemotherapy and IV treatments, Tina Drew, a parent at N.J. and one of my constituents, approached the school. She asked if they would consider raising funds for a local organization instead of a national one this year. The school jumped at the opportunity to keep the money here in the Northwest Territories. Just like business is an investment, when people donate to one of our local charities, they are creating a stronger, healthier community and I applaud N.J. Macpherson School for making that decision.

I’d also like to applaud the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation for spearheading many projects over the years to purchase medical equipment, to support programs and to assist in the development of new initiatives at our territorial hospital. The foundation is dedicated to raising funds to ensure that staff at the hospital have the best tools available to do their jobs and save lives. The Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation is still raising funds for chemotherapy and IV treatment, and I encourage everyone to consider making a donation.

I’d like to thank the staff and parents for helping N.J. reach and surpass its goal, and of course I’d

like to thank the students for working so hard on this project. School isn’t all about math and reading, it’s also about learning to be a supportive community member and with this event N.J. certainly accomplished that.

This is one of many great community events that N.J. Macpherson held this past year. These students are the future. It’s clear they care about the community and are going to help us create a sustainable and vibrant territory well into the future.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize the following very important visitors from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Commissioner Marie Wilson; Frank Hope, northern regional liaison; Jeannie Maniapik; and Lucy Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Marie Wilson, commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I would just like to say thank you for doing such great work on behalf of all the survivors in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi and welcome. Also the team as well. I would also like to recognize Mr. Anthony Whitford, whose birthday is today. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise with great respect and honour to recognize a couple of outstanding Weledeh constituents. First, of course, is Marie Wilson, who is here representing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and all the wonderful work they do. Kudos to them. I’d also like to recognize, of course, Anthony Whitford, who you yourself have outlined his many credentials. Both Weledeh constituents outstanding in their public contributions.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my sister-in-law Lucy Ann Yakeleya. I also recognize Marie Wilson, Frank Hope and Jeannie. Also to a special guy, Anthony Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize the good work that the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission has been doing. I was able to attend the event in Inuvik and it was really well done. Also Anthony Whitford, who has been a regular at the Assembly and is a mentor of sorts, and my constituency assistant, Maia Lepage. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Tony Whitford, as well, and also add that he is an auctioneer. Thanks, Tony.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to wish welcome to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but more importantly, to have the honour of Mr. Anthony Whitford here with us is always a blessing and, as we found out this last weekend, he has been one of the spearheads for Relay for Life and he’s also a cancer survivor.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour always to recognize the Honourable Anthony W.J. Whitford, who is a friend of many and he’s looking fantastic. As our colleague Mr. Dolynny said, he is a survivor of cancer. I have seen him with a great spring in his step lately. It’s nice to see the old Tony back.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I’d like to welcome all the visitors in the public gallery here today taking an interest in our proceedings. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to acknowledge and congratulate my constituent Marie Wilson on her recent recognition as an Honourary Doctor of Laws by St. Thomas University in New Brunswick. This distinction comes in tribute to Ms. Wilson’s lifelong contribution to the quality of public discourse in the North, in Canada and the world. Her work in CBC, our WSCC, and now in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is a model of public service. I invite you to join with me in saluting and congratulating Ms. Wilson on the conferral of this honour.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talk about the residential school students who went to schools outside their communities. I talked somewhat about my uncle. I want to ask – I don’t know if it’s the Minister of Justice or the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, but maybe I’ll ask the Minister of Justice on this one here – about students that did not come back to their communities. There are some families in the communities who are waiting for their son or their brother or their sister. One of their family members has not come back. What is the Department of Justice doing to help the communities and family members to know what happened to those students at the residential school they attended?