Yes, thank you so much.
When we moved up north, we really were trying to figure out how we would keep connected with the rest of the world. Having a direct line to the world.... I can't express how important it was, because it's so complicated to try to connect when you're so far apart from each other.
I was able to first be introduced to Mark Szyszlo because he was roaming around everywhere in the north. He was in every single community. I was able to call him about...whether it was our first performance in Carnegie Hall or anything we wanted to share, and share that with him. He would be the professional to determine whether or not it was worthy of taking south or further across the country. I trusted his opinion. I trusted his professionalism. I knew that he cared about what was happening in my region and throughout northern Manitoba. It was like a switch was turned off when he was no longer there.
Now, the CBC has tried very hard to try to maintain some sort of communication between the north and south, but it's, I think, virtually impossible to try to do that without boots on the ground up around where we are, because it's just so vast and there are so many things happening. Things are being missed unless we actually have that person there who can support us.
It has been night and day. I have been working very hard to get my message out. However, again, it is...I won't say impossible, because I believe everything is possible in Canada, but it's extremely hard. For me, in the north, I feel like in my world what I'm trying to do is still very much “pioneering”. There are still new opportunities every day that are happening, but I need to be connected with my world and my country and my province, and that has been lacking. It's been very difficult the last five years.