Honourable senators, I join with Yukoners, Canadians in honouring Sonjaa Schmidt and her gold-medal performance in the women’s cross-country sprint at the U23 World Ski Championships — a first for Canada.

Sonjaa said it best when quoted in the Whitehorse Star:

It was such an amazing day, it hasn’t really hit me yet. It was also so great to see all my teammates do so well, I think today was a huge step for Canadian Cross Country Skiing, and I hope that this result inspires the next generation of skiers.

Sonjaa, your Yukon, along with all of Canada, is so very proud of you and your teammate Derek Deuling, who won a gold medal as part of Canada’s mixed relay team, adding to Yukon’s pride and place in Canadian skiing. They are aware, although all of Canada may not be, that their success builds upon a long tradition of Yukon success in cross-country skiing and other sports.

Lucy Steele-Masson competed in the 1992 Olympics, being the first Yukon cross-country skier to compete in the games. Graham Nishikawa guided Paralympian Brian McKeever to three golds in the 2014 and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, and his sister Emily is another Whitehorse Olympian. Dahria Beatty, now in Canmore, has also enjoyed national and international success.

These cross-country skiers and their coaches — notably Alain Masson, a Laval, Quebec native and a summer and winter Olympian in his own right — ski at Mount McIntyre, host of the 1980-81 cross-country World Cup. That facility now forms part of the Canada Games Centre.

The Games Centre was built to host the 2007 Canada Winter Games, the first such games held north of 60. It forms part of a legacy that fostered the success of cross-country skiers and many others.

Theirs are not the only athletic success stories from the Yukon. Senators will recall the success of the “Workhorse from Whitehorse,” now a Buffalo Sabres player, Dylan Cozens. Hot on his heels — or skates — is the Western Hockey League’s 16‑year-old phenom Gavin McKenna.

One hundred and thirty athletes, coaches and cultural performers from the Yukon participated in the Indigenous Games this past summer in Halifax. All of these athletes are part of the more than the 3,000 residents to use the Canada Winter Games facility every day. While the success of all these individuals immediately belongs to their dedication and hard work, each of these athletes also recognizes the support and dedication of their parents and of the wider Yukon and Canadian community. I believe we can credit the success to all of Canada and Canada’s support for athletes and for games.

Next month, the twenty-seventh Arctic Winter Games will take place in Mat-Su, Alaska. The Arctic Winter Games, which includes cross-country skiing, is a sporting and cultural event that unites the Circumpolar North.

Honourable senators, these games, celebrations, athletes, coaches and support staff are something we can all be proud of as we celebrate the success of Derek Deuling and that of Sonjaa Schmidt, the first Canadian woman to win gold at the U23 World Ski Championships.

Thank you, mahsi’cho, gùnáłchîsh.