For 10 years now, Habitat for Humanity has been working hard to provide affordable homes to Yukon families. Habitat’s mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable houses and promoting home ownership as a means to break the cycle of poverty.

Habitat for Humanity empowers families by providing low-interest rates on homes priced below market values. They are able to accomplish this thanks to the support of volunteers and community partners who donate material, time and expertise. The families also get involved by providing 500 hours of labour to the project.

November 25 also marks the beginning of the annual White Ribbon campaign in Canada, and I am proud to stand here on behalf of the Liberal Party to recognize the White Ribbon campaign. It is one of the largest men-led anti-violence programs in the world and is run in parallel with the 12 Days to End Violence Against Women campaign. This year marks the 4th anniversary of White Ribbon Yukon, the group responsible for organizing the event.

Starting as a response to the École Polytechnique massacre on December 6, 1989 — 25 years ago, Mr. Speaker — the White Ribbon began to appear in the years following as a show of solidarity and to show opposition to violence against women. The campaign encourages men — especially young men — to pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.

November 25 marks the beginning of the 12 Days to End Violence Against Women campaign. The campaign is run locally by the Victoria Faulkner women’s shelter, Les EssentiElles and, in Dawson, by the women’s shelter. This year’s theme, as mentioned, is “Call It What It Is,” with a focus on the language that is used when discussing and conversing about violence against women.

Language used in sexual assault cases too often attempts to normalize, or to hide, acts of violence. To change the dialogue on violence against women is to change the language that we use in everyday life and also to change the language that we use to talk about violence against women. Aggression and assault toward women is, unfortunately, too common here in the Yukon. Sexual assault will happen to more than one out of four women in Canada. The number jumps even higher in the First Nation communities.

I rise on behalf of the Liberal Party to pay tribute to National Housing Day, which takes place on November 22 of each year.

The date was chosen to commemorate the 1998 declaration by the mayors of Canadian major cities to declare homelessness a national disaster and call on the federal and provincial governments to take action. Homelessness is as much a problem in the Yukon as it is in these major centres like Vancouver and Toronto.

I rise on behalf of the Liberal Party to also pay tribute to National Child Day, which takes place on November 20 of each year.

National Child Day is a day to recognize and to celebrate the rights of children in Canada. The day marks the anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, signed on November 20, 1959. As the Minister of Health and Social Services pointed out, this year also marks the 25^th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989. Canada ratified that agreement in 1991, further recognizing our country’s commitment to human rights.

Mr. Silver:   I also want to voice my congratulations to the companies and individuals that have won awards over the week, especially prospectors of the year, Ed Gallant and Mike Hamilton — and again for those great stories that they had last night at the banquet — and also the Leckie Award for excellence in environmental stewardship for the Sa Dena Hes Corporation — absolutely. But I just want to have a personal moment here for some of the Dawson winners of these awards. First off, the Fellers family name — not just Will and Mel, but the whole family has been a cornerstone in the placer mining community of Dawson for decades.

As we work into the week of the Geoscience Forum, I would like to pay tribute to all the geoscientists for their contributions to the Yukon. Geoscientists include professional geologists, geophysicists, palaeontologists, seismologists and many more who have combined efforts and have literally put Yukon on the map — a little geologist joke for you there.

Back in 1887, before Yukon was a separate territory, George Dawson made his way north as the assistant director of the Geological Survey of Canada. He created numerous maps of the area. Some were the first of their kind, which were later republished to provide a much-needed reference for the thousands of stampeders who headed to the Klondike. Both Dawson City and Dawson Creek have been named in his honour.

I rise on behalf of the Yukon Liberal Party and all of my colleagues to acknowledge the Dawson Film Community. Dawson has become world-renowned with its thriving arts community, due to the support of the community as a whole, but also as the whole of Yukon arts community. We owe very, very much to many artists, both past and present, whose vision and passion for their craft has left a resounding impact on the Klondike.

Dawson has produced accomplished filmmakers. Two in particular I would like to mention are Lulu Keating and Dan Sokolowski, who are often cited by young filmmakers in the community as very strong mentors.

Mr. Silver:   I rise today on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to Remembrance Day. It is on Remembrance Day that we recognize the sacrifices of the men and women who Canada sent to lay down their lives in foreign lands. This day marks the day and time where soldiers laid down their arms and stopped fighting in World War I on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

I rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to also pay tribute to Veterans’ Week.

Each year in the week leading up to Remembrance Day, we are asked to take time to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms and liberties that are a fundamental part of life in Canada. Unfortunately, those sacrifices seem closer to home this year than in past years with the recent deaths of Corporal Nathan Cirillo as well as Warrant Officer, Patrice Vincent.