Mr. Silver: I also rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to National Police Week, which runs from May 15 to 21. Police Week began in Canada in 1970 as a way to connect citizens with their local police force. We also use the week to honour members of our local force and to thank them for the hard work that they do in the line of duty.

This year, the RCMP is trying something new — the RCMP selfies. This week RCMP officers will be posting selfies on Twitter to show us what some of their officers do on a daily basis here on their home soil and throughout the globe as well. The RCMP is unique to Canada, providing a wide diversity of services and careers, which will most likely be showcased in their posted photos. Madam Speaker, if you want to go online, you would look up the hashtag #RCMPSelfies on Twitter. Here in Yukon, the RCMP — or the North-West Mounted Police, as they were called at the time — have a long history and are closely tied to the story of the Klondike Gold Rush.

In 1896, Inspector Charles Constantine was sent to Yukon to report on activities. He correctly forecasted the coming of the gold rush. As a result, officers were sent, and law and order — and Canadian sovereignty, most importantly — were enforced. The Klondike Gold Rush, for all its characters and stories of debauchery, was one of the most regulated and peaceful gold rushes, thanks in large part to the work of the NWMP.

Madam Speaker, today the RCMP still maintains a strong presence in our communities, with detachments in almost all of the communities. The RCMP deploys 135 officers throughout the territory, they volunteer at our community events, and they raise their families here.

I would like to take the opportunity to show gratitude as well to outgoing chief commander, Peter Clark, for the work that he has done in the Yukon over the past six years. We may have lost Peter to the Maritimes, but we have also gained Archie from there too, so I guess that kind of balances out a bit.

Madam Speaker, as we pay tribute to National Police Week, I would like to say, “Thank you”. Thank you to the brave men and women of the Yukon RCMP for their continued efforts in keeping our communities safe and for their sacrifices that they knowingly make each and every day. Thank you, Madam Speaker.