Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to take the opportunity to make mention of loved ones who have passed away in the Sahtu region and also around the Northwest Territories.

There are many important events and things that are happening in our region. People are going about their work. People are doing things that they need to get done in our small communities. But there’s a time in our communities, especially when a loved one has passed away because of sickness or sudden death, that the community, for a moment, slows down and takes care of the loved ones, with food, coffee, with visiting. They grieve together and they mourn together for the loved ones in our small communities. Tradition partly kicks in in these rituals and we remember these young people or these older people because of the contributions they made in the community or in the region or in the territory.

Today we recognize my friend, Mr. George Braden, who at one time was a colleague of mine. Mr. Bill Braden, his brother, sat next to me. Today we

remember his contributions to the Northwest Territories.

In our small communities, as politicians, leaders, people in schools, hospitals and private industry, sometimes we’re busy and we don’t make time because of our schedule. I know that for people in the small communities, when leaders come then they appreciate it for a moment to sit with them and talk with them and eat with them and pray with them for that moment. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of just leaving here, because we are required by law to be in this Assembly here, so sometimes we have that internal conflict that we should go or should we stay. Only we can make that decision.

I want to say there are a lot of good people in the Northwest Territories, and we do our best to be in those communities to support the families as much as we can. Our prayers go to all the families for the loss of loved ones since the last time we have sat as the Assembly.