Thank you, Mr. Chair. I speak in favour of Bill 5, the Vital Statistics Act, more particularly for the Aboriginal languages, an opportunity for people that make a choice to formally register their Aboriginal names. I applaud the department for taking those steps. Particularly so for the young individual person that took the steps to ensure that this legislation was amended. I'd like to draw her name, Shene Catholique-Valpy that took the steps to try to, you know, have her children's traditional name recognized in vital statistics, and she couldn't do it. So this is her effort in terms of making changes to legislation. It opens the door in terms of First Nations taking the steps and choice to register their traditional names.

At the same time, you know, it also sets the stage for self-identity of First Nations people. You know, the irony of our existence in North America and the world stage is that we all have Anglicized names and Christian names. Our culture is not really reflected in our English names. So this provides an opportunity for people to distinguish themselves as First Nations and Indigenous First Nations around the world.

I understand this passage of this legislation is still not complete, there's still an exercise in terms of sorting how, you know, the technical aspect of registering your names would work. But it's a small step through reconciliation. We still have a long ways to go. Hopefully, this is not just lip service, that it will indeed be committing this department, along with other departments in this government, to provide that opportunity for people to ensure that, you know, they're recognized in their formal traditional names in their self-identity. So with that, I just wanted to speak in favour of this legislation. Mahsi.