Mr. Speaker, last week on March 4, the community of Powell River and Tla'amin First Nation celebrated a deeply respected elder named Dr. Elsie Paul. Members of both Tla'amin and Powell River joined in the spirit of reconciliation to recognize the work and commitment Elsie has shown in building a stronger community, both within her nation and in the communities surrounding it.
Raised by her grandparents, Elsie had limited interaction with residential schooling. This allowed her to be raised in her culture, to be fluent in her mother tongue, and to learn from the rich environment around her. Elsie is a beacon of traditional knowledge, feeding the roots of her people and seeing them flourish with her efforts. This leadership only grew across Canada and the world when she published a book on her life called Written as I Remember It.
I want to thank Elsie for being who she is, for holding the culture safe to pass on to another generation, and for being the graceful woman that she is.