Mr. Speaker, today the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami declared 2010 to be the Year of the Inuit. I applaud this national organization and its president, Mary Simon, for launching this important initiative.
As chair of the government's aboriginal caucus, I welcome the year of the Inuit as a time for Canadians to celebrate the accomplishments of the Inuit. It will also be a chance to learn more about the challenges Inuit face in the future.
Canada's 2010 Winter Olympics feature the inukshuk, a proud symbol of the Inuit. The Inuit are proud to share this symbol with the world and want Canadians to see the Inuit in more than just symbolic terms. In doing so, we must work to improve Inuit living standards and address concerns such as their high education dropout rate.
Canada's Inuit population is young and growing in numbers. That makes initiatives like this one so necessary and valuable. I ask the House to join me in applauding the launch of the Year of the Inuit, and I welcome everyone to celebrate with them this year.