This is page numbers 1799 - 1842 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was going.

Topics

Members Present

Hon. Diane Archie, Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Mr. Bonnetrouge, Hon. Paulie Chinna, Ms. Cleveland, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Hon. Julie Green, Mr. Jacobson, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Martselos, Ms. Nokleby, Mr. Norn, Mr. O'Reilly, Ms. Semmler, Hon. R.J. Simpson, Hon. Shane Thompson, Hon. Caroline Wawzonek

The House met at 1:32 p.m.

---Prayer

Prayer
Prayer

Page 1799

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is home to a diverse group of people who live in a vibrant landscape shaped by rich culture and heritage. Our nine official Indigenous languages and our cultures bear sacred values and traditional knowledge that have been passed on through generations, shaping our identity and defining what makes the North truly unique. As leaders and residents of the Northwest Territories, we share the responsibility of revitalizing our Indigenous languages through celebration and practice to preserve our traditional ways of life. As Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I would like to wish all Members of this Legislative Assembly and the residents of the Northwest Territories a happy Indigenous Languages Month. This month is an opportunity for residents to honour the rich culture and heritage embodied by the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories and our nine official Indigenous languages.

The theme for Indigenous Languages Month 2021 is Cook With Me, which supports the mandate of this government to increase food security and is inspired by the United Nations' International Year of Fruits and Vegetables in 2021. This unique theme was cooked up in partnership with the NWT Literacy Council and embodies messages of warmth, home, family, and cooperation. Food and cooking are at the heart of our traditions, memories, identities, and togetherness. Food brings people from different cultures together, allowing us to learn about one another's backgrounds. We share our cultural heritage when we share food with others. Saying "cook with me" to our families and friends is an invitation to strengthen our togetherness, traditions, and customs.

Mr. Speaker, throughout February we encourage Northwest Territories residents to engage in the exciting activities and resources that have been organized for Indigenous Languages Month. In partnership with the NWT Literacy Council, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has prepared a number of initiatives. You will see a social media campaign featured on the NWT Indigenous Languages and Education Facebook page that will support the theme, Cook With Me. In addition, a regional recipe book featuring recipes from individuals and families across all the regions of the Northwest Territories has been translated into all official Indigenous languages and will be made available over the course of the month on the ECE website and social media. This week, you can view recipes in Tlicho and North Slavey on our Facebook page. Lastly, digital Indigenous language Valentine's Day cards will be available for sharing with friends and loved ones.

This month, we are also offering regional Indigenous governments celebratory grants to produce videos and other creative projects that promote, celebrate, and engage in Indigenous Languages Month. We have also engaged with schools across the territory to encourage them to celebrate by creating food-themed lesson plans that are linked to the Our Languages curriculum by using Indigenized approaches to culinary arts classes and by organizing celebrations of traditional foods in schools. Promoting food-preparation-themed language education supports the Our Languages curriculum and provides the opportunity to learn Indigenous languages and culture while also promoting food security for youth.

Mr. Speaker, it fills me with pride to live in and represent our territory, which has an abundant living history full of vibrant culture. Mahsi cho to the elders, community leaders, language advocates, and teachers who continue to promote Indigenous language revitalization efforts across the Northwest Territories. I encourage all Northerners to advocate for Indigenous languages and join me in celebrating Indigenous Languages Month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Highway No. 5 is the road between Fort Smith and Hay River, and it spans 273 kilometres. It was constructed in 1966 as a gravel road, but it is now a fully paved highway that passes through Wood Buffalo National Park. Missing from this highway, though, Mr. Speaker, is a cellular service along the entirety of the road. This is a long stretch of road to have no cellular service. I would like to enhance my colleague's request to build cellular infrastructure along Highway No. 3, servicing Behchoko to Yellowknife, and include with it a cellular service along Highway No. 5. This is a much-needed infrastructure that needs to be built in order to increase the level of safety for all travellers who use Highway No. 5. In the event of an emergency, unless travellers have a satellite phone, they are obliged to depend on other bypassers along the highway to get any rescue assistance. Again, this is a 273-kilometre highway.

Mr. Speaker, this is not okay and is not acceptable. In this day and age, I think we have reached a point where this is considered critical infrastructure, and building it ought to be a no-brainer. It's a busy highway, and it is the only highway in and out of Fort Smith. It is also the NWT's entryway into Wood Buffalo National Park, which is the second-largest park in the world, making it a great tourist destination. A project like this would serve twofold. It would both enhance our highway safety and help increase the prospects of tourism in the South Slave region of the NWT. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, if the government is planning to enter into any new service contracts to install cellular service along any NWT highway, I would like to request that Highway No. 5 be considered in any future negotiations. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Online Patient Portal
Members' Statements

Page 1799

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In November, I passed a motion in this House asking the Northwest Territories health system to stop using fax machines to send health records. This is from a 2018 report where the Chief Information and Privacy Commissioner asked the same thing. There have been numerous breaches over the years, including some egregious ones such as health records being sent to CBC North in 2010 and 2012.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Minister in the reply can finally put an end to us sending health records. However, Mr. Speaker, there is a lot more to do in the area of electronic medical records. Specifically, I would like to see an online patient portal. In fact, our electronic medical records system was initially set up with one, but the department never turned it on due to privacy concerns, an ironic answer considering their consistent breaches of health information.

Mr. Speaker, in BC, a patient can log on and they can see their x-rays, they can see their MRIs, they can see status of the lab tests, they can see status of all their reports, including doctors' notes about their medical history. This allows patients to own their information and know when something is missing. In Alberta, which uses a very similar system to ours and which is our number one sharing-of-information jurisdiction, you can log in and you can see the status of any COVID tests. It has been crucial to their pandemic response, having people see where their lab tests are. I have had numerous concerns from constituents who are one week out from a COVID test, wondering where it is. They simply could have logged on to a patient portal, in Alberta, and seen that information.

Mr. Speaker, I understand there was work being done to upgrade our electronic medical records; I understand there is work being done to end the use of fax machines, but this work is long overdue. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services when this work will be completed and when we can let patients truly see all their health records so that we can put an end to the faxing, the CDs, the USBs, and the numerous ways we try to share our health information with our Alberta that leaves patients' files often incomplete and in a confused state of disarray. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Online Patient Portal
Members' Statements

Page 1799

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statement. Member for Deh Cho.

Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today, I will speak on an all-important matter regarding conflict of interests in respect to GNWT employees. As employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories, everyone is held to high ethical standards in complying with the GNWT Code of Conduct and GNWT Code of Ethics. This is to ensure that GNWT employees are maintaining public confidence and maintaining the integrity of the public service in the execution of their duties.

Mr. Speaker, one of the guidelines states that it is a condition of employment with the GNWT to respect the code of conduct in respect to the conflict of interests. It also states that employees who fail to comply with these standards may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

Mr. Speaker, a conflict of interests exists where there is an actual or perceived situation between the employee's duties and responsibilities of office and the private interests of the employee or an immediate family member, which can include but not limited to pecuniary interests including investments and business involvements. Outside employment service, whether voluntary or otherwise on the board, council or committee or any other organization and personal relationships, including immediate family or spouse.

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that GNWT employees be held to highest ethical standards to ensure the integrity of the public service. There are many rumblings and hearsay that GNWT employees are allowed to do as they please without any discipline whatsoever. GNWT employees who may be in an actual or perceived conflict of interest are being protected by the GNWT itself. Mr. Speaker, that is not being impartial when the GNWT dictates who is or isn't in an actual or a perceived conflict of interest. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Member's statements. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We always talk about how the North is such a unique place, and one thing that makes it so is our reliance on our winter road network. The allure and mystique of these multi-million-dollar annual ventures is so powerful it even spurred an entire television series, helping to put the NWT on the international stage. However exciting these roads are and how beautiful they are to drive, it must be pointed out that we spend millions of dollars every year building infrastructure that melts, not exactly a fiscally responsible situation.

The Mackenzie Valley Highway was completed to Fort Simpson in 1971 and the federal government, which was responsible for highway construction in the territories, promised the following year that it would continue up the east shore of the Mackenzie River and on to Inuvik. The highway would follow the natural route to the Beaufort Sea and provide outside connections to Norman Wells. It seemed only a matter of time until the road would complete the Trans-Canada Highway system. However, that was not the case, and the NWT still awaits the connection of this vital infrastructure corridor.

In the North, we need roads for every facet of our lives. If permanent roads connected northern communities, supplies could be replenished year-round. An established, constant and steady supply chain would reduce the cost of living for our people. Additionally, with travel limited outside the territory for the foreseeable future, a connected all-weather road system would allow for residents to travel internally, taking territorial vacations that would help improve mental health while stimulating the economy. An often-overlooked aspect of having connected communities is that of personal safety. Will a person fleeing a domestic violent situation be more likely to leave if they can drive away? A tank of gas is much cheaper than purchasing an airline ticket.

Given the current state of our environment, both physically and economically, permanent roads in the North are now a necessity. Millions could be spent on the construction of the Mackenzie Highway through to the Beaufort-Delta, ensuring contractors, consultants, and construction service providers stay in business. It would bring in tourism, internal to start, while the international travel situation recovers. It would cut 800 kilometres off the trip from Edmonton to Inuvik, lowering freight costs because trucks would no longer have to go through the Yukon, all leading to a reduction in the cost of food and other essentials in remote communities. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

If I sound like a broken record, it's because I have often spoken about the need for all season roads. However, I do so again to urge my colleague, the Minister of Infrastructure, to go back to her federal tables and demand better for us; demand that we receive 100 percent funding to build our roads. They are literally the road to economic recovery for many northern businesses. Given the infrastructure deficit the federal government has left us in, the promised highway in the 1970s that never materialized, it is time we remind the Government of Canada that this was not our doing, and that it is an issue we can no longer afford to pay for at the expense of our people. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Member statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Northwest Territories Heritage Fund
Members' Statements

Page 1800

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Since its inception in 2012, the NWT Heritage Fund has grown to a very small amount of less than $30 million. During that time, the value of our petroleum and mineral production was about $18 billion. Of course, there were and continue to be benefits from resource development, but $30 million is not a lot to pass along to future generations for this one-time natural capital. That is less than 0.2 percent of the value of these resources. The purpose of the Heritage Fund is set out in legislation. It is "to ensure that future generations of people of the Northwest Territories benefit from ongoing economic development, including the development of non-renewable resources." I am not convinced we are doing a very good at that. The problems with the fund are well-known and were identified even during the discussion paper back in 2010:

  • There is no defined revenue stream for the Heritage Fund; and
  • There is no public governance and minimal reporting.

The Heritage Fund is so neglected that the last annual report posted on the Finance website is for 2014. Although there is a legal requirement for the tabling of an annual report on the Heritage Fund in this House, the Assembly website only shows annual reports for 2013, 2014, and 2016. In the last Assembly, there was even a promise of a discussion paper to revitalize the Heritage Fund and its legislation. That promise, too, was never fulfilled.

The only changes that seem to have been made to the original legislation and regulations since 2012 were to loosen up the very conservative investment requirements set in the regulations. The change was apparently made because the Heritage Fund was actually losing money against inflation. The management of the Heritage Fund was also contracted out to a third party.

The one saving grace is that there is a legal requirement for a ten-year review that must report at the first sitting after August 1, 2022. We must begin preparing for that review now. The review must include:

  • the operation of the act;
  • how to obtain public input and advice on expenditures from the fund;
  • independent oversight and management of the Heritage Fund; and
  • any other amendments that should be made to the act.

I will have questions for the Minister of Finance on improving intergenerational equity for residents of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Northwest Territories Heritage Fund
Members' Statements

Page 1800

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Front-Line Workers and Responders
Members' Statements

Page 1800

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to speak a little bit about our front-line workers, and what I mean by front-line workers, our doctors, our nurses, our firefighters, corrections, people working at the borders, too many to list, social workers. I want to give out a good shout out to them today. I don't think we recognize them enough in the House, and the tough job that they have to do on a day-to-day basis.

They put themselves into harm's way. A lot of dangerous duties. Every shift, they go out there. They're putting themselves at risk. I just want to say: I can't say enough about them. I want to say a big marsi cho to them. When you go out there today, we're thinking about you. Again, I have been really thinking about this. It made me think about this on the way here when I drove to the Legislature this morning and saw the lights go on. I could imagine responding to calls in the very, very cold weather like this. You imagine fighting a fire in this cold weather. A lot of this is hard work. With that, I just want to say, a big marsi cho to all of those front-line workers. I am going to hit the desk for about five seconds just to show my appreciation.

---Applause

Front-Line Workers and Responders
Members' Statements

Page 1800

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

COVID-19 Impact on Nunakput Teachers
Members' Statements

Page 1800

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking up on behalf of my teachers during this pandemic. In Nunakput, teachers provide a vital service, especially to our smaller communities, aside from parents, our kids' biggest resource for support. I have been talking to some of the teachers in Nunakput. They are really stressed out, and they need the government's help. Our teachers provide the essential services, but they're not being treated that way, Mr. Speaker. They are asking me why the nurses and doctors are considered essential service but they are not. I see where they are coming from, Mr. Speaker.

Teachers travel. They have to pay their own travel, their own hotel costs when they're going North for, say, spring break. Why is that? Why can't they do rapid testing? When they're in quarantine, they have to pay out of their own pocket, and they lose lost wages when they're COVID testing where we can get them back to the classroom more quickly, for the rapid testing, Mr. Speaker. We need our teachers more. Their job is hard and demanding, and even when there is no pandemic, it's still there. The stresses of work are there every day with them. I am hearing from the teachers who feel desperate but are afraid to speak out. I am here to speak out for them, Mr. Speaker. Today, I will have questions for the Minister of Health at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

COVID-19 Impact on Nunakput Teachers
Members' Statements

Page 1801

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Integrated Service Delivery Model
Members' Statements

Page 1801

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

[Translation] It is the government's responsibility to ensure its program and services are accessible to the people it serves. [Translation ends]

The GNWT spends millions on programs and services, but they are not accessible to the people who need them, and people are falling through the cracks. 2020 was a challenging year. Yes, Northerners are resilient, but Northerners have been fighting the social challenges highlighted by 2020 for a long time.

For many, life feels like an exhausting game of snakes and ladders where every roll lands them farther down the game board. We live in a territory with the second-highest family violence rates, staggering rates of undiagnosed FASD, trauma in every community, rampant substance abuse, mental health challenges, and $0.5 billion housing shortfall. When someone suffering through one of these challenges looks for support, the path needs to be clear. When someone is suffering through all of these, the path needs to be easy.

In November, I walked with an NWT resident trying to access supports. They agreed to share their journey, but I will call them "Avery" to protect their privacy. In short, Avery was a parent facing eviction from public housing, struggling with substance abuse and family violence in the home, both of which started during the COVID-19 lockdown. Avery's story is not unique and is relevant to all of our constituencies that we serve.

Avery's rock bottom brought us together. In the week that followed, they made 14 connections with public servants with the primary goal of accessing integrated case management and its wraparound support services. Mr. Speaker, I know the GNWT system, refused to take no for an answer, and it still took us 14 connections to find support that extended beyond the first contact. If an MLA can't untangle the system, how can someone struggling be expected to? Avery's journey went from RCMP to specialty courts, NWT Housing, adult FASD clinic, mental health counsellor, adult social worker program, and ICM itself, all in an attempt to work through social challenges prevalent in the NWT, and ones that I would expect that the GNWT prepared to address. This siloed system of dead ends is failing our people. Accessing support should not feel like a rigged board game. We need to meet people where they are with the right support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Integrated Service Delivery Model
Members' Statements

Page 1801

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.

Vehicle Safety on Highway No. 3
Members' Statements

Page 1801

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today, I am going to talk about Highway No. 3. Today, as we all know, the winter road has opened to the mines. When we look at it, there are a lot of people travelling on Highway No. 3. All sorts of vehicles go through. At times, we know that there is danger, and yet, that's the way that we are living today. Right now, we have issues that have been brought a few times already. This is why I am bringing it up again. [Translation ends]

Many have been hurt driving the road. Many have been killed, Mr. Speaker. Most recently being Kelly Washie, a 45-year-old constituent of mine who died on New Year's Eve. Mr. Speaker, I heard firsthand what had happened on this very sad day from my father, who was driving Kelly Washie to Yellowknife for a grocery run, an in-and-out quick trip. It turned out to be a very tragic trip for all.

Mr. Speaker, on the way back from Yellowknife, Mr. Washie wanted to use a restroom, to which none were available on Highway No. 3, so they had to go outside in the back of the vehicle. When they parked on the side of the road with flashing lights, as soon as Mr. Washie went to the back of the vehicle, a few transport trucks drove by without slowing down, leaving a cloud of snow flying behind. Couldn't see anything.

Mr. Speaker, that was when Mr. Washie was struck by this semi-truck head on. Would it have made a difference or saved a life if this transport truck was going under the speed limit or slowed right down for a parked vehicle with flashing lights? Mr. Speaker, we'll never know the answer, but we must strive to make changes that could save lives on Highway No. 3. I will have questions for Infrastructure at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker. Masi.

Vehicle Safety on Highway No. 3
Members' Statements

Page 1801

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Eulogy for Charles Edward Lennie
Members' Statements

February 8th, 2021

Page 1801

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the family for the honour to read the eulogy for Charles Edward Inglangasuk Lennie, known to most as Edward Lennie, who passed away on November 6, 2020.

Edward Lennie was born at the Husky Lakes area on June 23, 1934. He is the youngest child of Sarah Kyikavikchick and Lennie Inglangasuk. His mother Sarah was a Gwich'in who came from a historical line of Gwich'in chiefs, and his father Lennie was a well-known leader amongst the Inuvialuit. Lennie was known as a Bankslander because of the numerous trips by schooner to Banks Island on the mainland.

Edward spent his first ten years of his life travelling by schooner and by dog team with his family all over the Beaufort coast, Arctic islands, and Mackenzie Delta. His family had camps at Napoyak in the Mackenzie Delta, Nulluk in the Husky Lakes area, Lennie River on Banks Island, and he spent his winters on Victoria Island north of Ulukhaktok.

In 1944, his mother passed away, and the following fall, he was put into residential school in Aklavik. He mentioned some hardships but mostly talked about the lifelong friends that he made from Fort Good Hope, Fort McPherson, Tuktoyaktuk, and the Beaufort-Delta. His father died a few years later, and at a young age, Edward lived with his older sister Winnie Cockney. He also stayed with his aunt Alice Simon and Old Simon at Nepoyuk.

Square dancing stories started when he was living with his sister Winnie. When word came through that there were square dances at the station, he would finish his chores early and run over to the dance no matter the weather. His cousins remember waltzing with him at the cabin to music over the radio. If you didn't know how to dance, he would let you stand on his feet to follow his lead.

Edward's passion for dancing showed effortlessly when he participated at local square dances in all of the communities. He loved to call out square dances, and he was proud to see the young men learning to call, too. Edward would dance all night long if people would let him.

One of Edward's first jobs was working on the Hudson Bay supply boat, and he continued to travel all over the Beaufort coast. In 1958, he married Jeannie, and they began their family. He moved his family and worked at numerous DEW line sites, including Cape Parry, Stokes Point, Shingle Point, and Horton River.

In 1960, Edward moved his family to Inuvik, where he worked for the transient centre, and he continued to work for the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal government, and for Nortran, a branch of the oil industry, to recruit and train Northerners.

Inuvik was a modern town, so Edward made sure that his family lived a traditional lifestyle. He taught his family to burn wood for heat, haul ice for water, and use a dog team to check the snares down the river. He ensured that his family had always had time out on the land.

As Edward and Jeannie raised their children, they also provided a home for students who attended residential school. Edward enjoyed encouraging youth through northern games. They would spend hours playing these games in the living room that were always accompanied by the aroma of traditional foods that they would feast on at the end of the evening. Edward and Jeannie cared for a lot of young offenders who were placed in their home, as well, and showed them their way of life. Years later, the same boys would express their appreciation for the positive impact they made in their lives. Through his life, he promoted a sober lifestyle, teaching people that you did not need alcohol to enjoy yourself.

Edward worked hard at keeping his culture and history alive, and for this, he received many recognitions. In 2003, he was a recipient of the Indspire Award for Heritage and Sports, and they made the following statement: "When Edward Lennie heard that the Arctic Winter Games were to be held in Yellowknife in 1970, he was dismayed, 'How could they call something the Arctic Winter Games when there was nothing Arctic about them?' More than 30 years later, Mr. Lennie fixed all that. Northern games -- the one-foot kick, seal skinning, bannock making, and traditional dancing, to name only a few -- are alive and well in Canada's North. In 2000, the games that Mr. Lennie founded celebrated their 30th anniversary and are a vibrant part of the Arctic life. From Alaska to Labrador, they provide the Inuit with a critical cultural exchange and a chance to reconnect with an ancient past. Their components have also taken their rightful place in the Arctic Winter Games and are now demonstration sports in the Canada Games. He taught by example, and we are richer for it. An Inuit leader once said Mr. Lennie trained athletes himself, raised funds when necessary, and brought his beloved games and culture to a wider audience through performances for Royals, Prime Ministers, and the national television audiences. Needless to say, northern youth have kept up this elder's call. 'Wherever the Inuit came from, that is where it all started,' Mr. Lennie says in describing northern games. 'All these sports fit into one life story. A guy that moves slowly does not have to be fast as long as he can think fast. The best way I can explain this is to keep playing the games.' And you can be sure the Inuit keep playing northern games for generations to come."

He was also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medallion in 2012, where he was presented this award in Inuvik on February 15, 2013, by the Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Gerry Kisoun, and Robert C. McLeod, MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Edward is greatly missed by many who experienced his warm smile and his smarty sense of humour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.