Good afternoon, colleagues. Today I’d like to honour the memory of a woman who achieved some remarkable goals, while grounding her traditions through her family. She left them with lessons of strength, culture, tradition, work ethic and “to thine own self be true.”
Nagooyoak Mabel Pokiak Lumsden was born on Banks Island, the westernmost point of the Arctic Archipelago. In her early years, she spent time between her family’s summer camp in Tuktoyaktuk and their winter camp in Sachs Harbour. When she was five, she was taken to the residential school in Aklavik.
She remained there until she went to Sir John Franklin, where she not only graduated, she went on to do something unheard of at that time. She left the Northwest Territories to attend the Winnipeg School of Nursing, where she graduated in 1964.
This remarkable woman had a favourite saying: “Imagine that.” Imagine that an Inuvialuit woman of her time went to university not once, but four times, completing four different courses of study in medicine. Imagine that this woman understood how important it was to share her traditional knowledge of hunting, trapping, dance and sewing with her family and younger generations. And imagine that this same woman could bridge two worlds and impress upon her family and friends the importance of culture and language while carving a life in mainstream medicine.
When we are privileged to have a snapshot of the life of a woman like Nagooyoak Mabel Pokiak Lumsden, we must honour her. Against all odds, she became the first Inuit nurse in Canada and had a strong and lasting effect on all she met.
Ms. Pokiak Lumsden was a role model for so many and her lessons live on through her family and everyone she touched.
Her achievements reflect a determined life lived on her own terms, understanding the value of education, never forgetting the importance of her family and culture, and sharing her experiences and
stories with as many people as she could. She was a true Northerner with a resilient character, determination and the drive to prove that circumstance does not always dictate direction.
Ms. Pokiak Lumsden passed away on August 6, 2012. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.