Mr. Speaker, every weekend is a good one for Manitoba and this one is no exception. Two Manitoban Michalangelos, Miguel Joyal and his teammate Denis Savoie, carved the likeness of Louis Riel, the father of Manitoba, out of snow. Their work, entitled “The Great Manitou”, was judged to be the best sculpture in the first annual winterlude snow carving contest. Not only did “The Great Manitou” beat out entries from 11 other provinces and territories, it was also the people's choice, the favourite of visitors to the Hill who also cast ballots in the contest.
On Saturday another Manitoban, Susan Auch, distinguished herself at the Nagano Olympics by winning the silver medal in the 500 metre speed skating event. Her superlative performance marks the second time she has won a medal in that event and caps off a long and illustrious career as a world class speed skater.
I would like to congratulate Susan, Miguel and Denis. This weekend they proved that my city truly merits the name Winnerpeg.