Wally Firth  Mr. Speaker, Wally Firth, my predecessor here and the first indigenous member of Parliament from Northwest Territories, passed away last month at the age of 89 years old. He served as the NDP MP for Northwest Territories from 1972 to 1979. He was also one of the first indigenous

2024 Arctic Winter Games  Mr. Speaker, the 2024 Arctic Winter Games just wrapped up in the Mat-Su Valley in south central Alaska this past weekend. These games, held every two years in the Arctic region, include 21 indoor and outdoor sports, from hockey and biathlon to volleyball and table tennis, as well

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, we all recognize the crucial importance of successful, high-quality child care for families in the Northwest Territories. With the increase in the cost of living, accessible day care is vital. Families in my riding and across the north have been eager to see this pla

Birthday Congratulations  Mr. Speaker, I would like to send best wishes to Mitzi Hodgson on the occasion of her 100th birthday. Mitzi turned 100 on December 9. Born in Slovenia, Mitzi landed in Norman Wells in 1955. Without knowing a word of English, she began working in the Imperial Oil mess hall. It w

Tourism Industry  Mr. Speaker, indigenous tourism was among the hardest-hit sectors of the travel industry during the pandemic, but it was becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism industry before the pandemic and that opportunity still exists. The growth of indigenous tourism is

Indigenous Disability Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, November is Indigenous Disability Awareness Month, a time to recognize the contributions of Métis, Inuit and first nations persons with disabilities to Canada's social, economic and cultural fabric. Included in Canada's action plan to implement UNDRIP is a measure t

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition signed by over 1,100 Canadians from across Canada who are calling on the Government of Canada to establish an annual aircraft maintenance engineer day on April 20. From coast to coast to coast, Canada's aircraft maintenance engineer

Indigenous Affairs  Madam Speaker, tomorrow is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day that recognizes first nations, Inuit and Métis children who were separated from their families, their culture and their communities. While the Leader of the Opposition fails to advance on indige

Disaster Assistance  Mr. Speaker, this year marked Canada's worst wildfire season on record, especially in the Northwest Territories, with three of our four largest communities and nearly 70% of our population evacuated. The $28 million recently announced for the NWT by the Government of Canada is ve

Climate Change  Mr. Speaker, this summer was an incredibly challenging time for the Northwest Territories. Across our region, wildfires threatened the safety of our communities, with about 70% of NWTers being evacuated, including in the city of Yellowknife. The people of Hay River and Kʼatlodeec

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, June marks National Indigenous History Month, which is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of first nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada as well as their culture, languages and heritage. It is also an opportunity to reflect on historic wrong

National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy  Mr. Speaker, it is World Immunization Week, and I want to discuss tuberculosis. While there is currently a vaccine against TB, it is over 100 years old and it is of limited efficiency. TB is an airborne bacterial infectious disease. It is strongly associated with social determina

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie River basin drains nearly 20% of Canada's land mass. Waters in Alberta and B.C. flow north toward Great Slave Lake, down the Mackenzie River and into the Arctic Ocean. The illegal, unreported Kearl tailings leak is just the most recent risk to one of

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, my constituents in the Northwest Territories are very troubled by the recent news that millions of litres of oil sands tailings in northern Alberta were leaked without notifying communities at risk for nine months. It is unacceptable that neither Imperial Oil nor the

Health Care  Mr. Speaker, I know across Canada we are feeling the effects of a lack of health care workers. In the NWT, we have been experiencing this for some time, but recently on a much higher level. This year, in 10 communities including my own, the health centres were able to offer only