Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise today on behalf of all of my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly to pay tribute to Dawson City resident and Yukon government employee, Martin Kienzler. Aside from his many contributions to the community, he was recently awarded the Outstanding Partner award by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise to pay tribute to this national day of remembrance. I remember 26 years ago — December 6, 1989. Lots of important things happened in 1989 — the protests in Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, the one event that shook Canadians the most was the Montreal massacre.

Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, on December 3, persons with disabilities around the world, United Nations’ representatives, civil society organizers and the general public will come together to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, or IDPD.

Mr. Silver: I rise on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Official Opposition to also pay tribute to the rural experiential model, or REM, which took place in Dawson City at Robert Service School in September. I want to begin by thanking Elder Angie Joseph Rear for the opening prayer for the event. That was a prayer of hope — hope for educators to open their hearts to the many different ways that northern students learn. By all accounts, that is exactly what the REM is all about.

Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the Liberal caucus to also acknowledge and pay tribute to World AIDS Day. It is held on December 1 each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to also pay tribute to the White Ribbon campaign and the beginning of the 12 Days to End Violence Against Women Campaign.

This campaign is run locally by Victoria Faulkner’s Women’s Centre and Les EssentiElles and also in Dawson by the women’s shelter. This year, there are 17 organizations, Mr. Speaker, participating in 14 events over 12 days. The kickoff was at noon hour at Yukon College and it was very well-attended.

Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I would just like to also briefly add my congratulations to the winners of the 2015 Leckie awards, the prospectors of the year and the Yukon Chamber of Mines community awards. Of course, the Leckie Award, as has already been said, was created in 1999 to tribute Robert E. Leckie, the mining inspector for Mayo — the award being presented to worthy recipients for excellence in environmental stewardship, outstanding social responsibility and leadership in innovation in mining practices. Of course this year is absolutely no exception.

I would like to thank Minto Explorations Ltd., Kaminak Gold Corporation and Caw Mining and also, of course, all the nominees. It was great to see Derek Scheffen up there with Allison and Randy to accept the award on behalf of Kaminak. Hopefully next time he is up on the stage we’ll get him a speaking role, but it was really good to see a company that has local hire at their heart.

I just very quickly want to thank all the Leckie Award winners, and also the prospector of the year to Roger Hulstein, and to all the crew at Gorilla Minerals and to Victoria Gold for winning their community award through the Yukon Chamber of Commerce. The Liberal caucus absolutely recognizes the hard work that they are all doing in the territory and wish them continued success — and also thank you for your leadership in the mining industry.

Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the Liberal Caucus to pay tribute to November 15 to 22, Bullying Awareness Week. I would like to thank the Member for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes for my tie today, which is pink.

Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. For this year’s Remembrance Day tribute, I would like to tell the story of one solider — one solider from Dawson City who recently turned 100 years old — Platoon Sergeant Percy C. DeWolfe, service number K50492. Percy enlisted in Vancouver, BC, on March 4, 1943. Service records indicate his occupation at the time was placer miner on Dredge No. 11, Dawson City, Yukon.

I rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to National Skilled Trades and Technology Week.

Skills Canada — this is how I’m going to focus in on this tribute — puts much though and effort into this week every year with a goal to promote the great opportunities that careers in skilled trades can bring. This year’s kickoff will be in the New Brunswick Community College in Moncton, and that event promises, as always, to be an important advocacy beacon for skills, trades and their successful contributions to the Canadian economy.