Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On April 28, 2016, Thomas Simpson School in the Community of Fort Simpson had the opportunity to have Theo Fleury as a guest speaker. He gave two powerful presentations, one to the community and one to the school. This was the final leg of his tour which included trips into Yellowknife, Behchoko, and Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, Theo's presentation was on trauma he suffered as a child growing up with his parents who struggled with addictions, and the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his junior hockey coach. Theo Fleury told the audience that, by breaking the silence of his own abuse, it ultimately put him on the path of healing. He spoke out about how society put mental health, addictions, and trauma into separate boxes, but they all live in the same house.
Theo encouraged people who had gone through trauma and abuse to reach out to the community members who can help them. There are a lot of people out there who would like to and are willing to help, and they would love to help you out.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the RCMP and the Northern Safety Association for coordinating this event; as well, the Mackenzie Rec Association and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs for providing some of the funding throughout the tour.
There was a lot of local support for this tour in Fort Simpson. I'd like to thank them for providing this great opportunity for our youth. This tour came about from youth asking for it. They requested this. They asked for it because, when we are doing youth conferences in their communities, other people were not getting opportunities to see it in other, smaller communities.
Over the years, there has been a variety of presenters in there, whether it's Olympians, Minister Moses was out on tours, and they got the message to these people, the young people, to get them the education that they need, not just in the school. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, it's all about the youth building their foundation. Youth Tours give them the opportunity to explore and expand their knowledge, similar to the Youth Ambassadors Program. Later today, I will have some questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.