Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank the people of Nunavut for their confidence in me and for the opportunity to represent them for the third time.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate my constituent, Ashley Paniyuk-Dean of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, who recently made history as the first Inuk and the first Nunavut contestant for the Miss World Canada pageant, which took place in Toronto on September 9, 2004.
A graduate of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program, Ashley is a young entrepreneur and now attends the teacher training program at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.
Ashley finished in the top 12 in the Miss World Canada pageant and was voted Miss Heart and Soul, winning the most votes ever in this category. The Miss Heart and Soul award is all the more precious as the winner is voted for by her fellow contestants. Congratulations to Ashley.