Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement today, I am going to join with my colleagues and discuss the importance of caring for our elders and people with mobility issues in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, most of our elders have worked hard all their lives. They have paid their dues and helped lay the foundation of the road before us, so we as a government owe it to them to let them thoroughly enjoy their golden years with peace of mind. When I say they have worked hard all their lives, it's not just in the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 jobs. A lot of our elders worked hard out on the land. My great-grandfather hunting, checking fish nets, providing for the family; my great-grandmother used to tell me stories about going out in 50 below at Little Buffalo River with a shawl and checking rabbit snares for food, and still set in her ways. Even late in life, when I was in school, we bought her a washer and dryer. She refused to use it, and she still stuck with her old ways and had a washboard, because she wanted to get my socks just the right way. I still think about that, and it makes me smile. Hard-working, and I wish we could teach our youth some of that hard work ethic. I'm still trying, and hopefully, we can get there.
Going on with what I was saying, in our list of 22 priorities of the 19th Assembly, one of them is to enable seniors to age in place with dignity; the key word there being "dignity." This priority item is also expanded upon in this Assembly's mandate.
Mr. Speaker, our mandate says that this government commits to increasing supports for seniors to remain in their own homes in their communities; to protect our elders from abuse and neglect; and to fund actions that enhance inclusion, safety, and removal of community-level barriers to aging in place.
As we recover from this pandemic, I will work as best I can to ensure that this government will stay true to these commitments. As well, Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I have just mentioned, I will be supporting today's motion, or any motion about supporting our seniors here in the NWT. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.