Honourable senators, I rise today on the one hundred and twenty-sixth anniversary of the Yukon Act and in celebration of National Indigenous History Month to share with you the celebration of Yukon First Nations graduates. Throughout Canada, students of all ages are now completing periods of study and considering the next steps in their learning journey. For some, especially the high schools, there are gowns selected, tuxes rented and appointments booked to ensure the graduates look their very best.

You have heard colleagues reference — and me celebrate — the document Together Today for our Children Tomorrow. Recently, at the Yukon University convocation ceremony, David Silas — himself a Yukon Selkirk First Nation citizen — stated, “. . . we are the Children of Tomorrow.”

For a number of years now, the Council of Yukon First Nations has held a special celebration to honour these Children of Tomorrow, the First Nations high school graduates.

The effort to truly celebrate these young individuals begins a year ahead of time with the gathering of mothers, aunties, grandmas and special people in the lives of the graduates. They come together to sew the distinct, special regalia worn by the graduates at the ceremony.

The graduation regalia — beaded moosehide dresses and vests — are a reflection of the student, their First Nation and the Yukon. These items are not simply clothing. They are works of art made with love, care and great skill.

Such works of art — 14 pieces, each a reflection of a Yukon First Nations student — have been gathered together in the exhibition Honouring Our Future: Yukon First Nations Graduation Regalia, which toured the Yukon from 2020 to 2023, and made available for everyone to appreciate.

Honourable senators, a picture is worth a thousand words — or, in speaking terms, about a minute and half. As I have limited time and mere words cannot do justice to the handiwork of these individuals, you have received a postcard with a picture of Sarrah Telep’s white tanned moosehide gown with fireweed beaded along one side. On the reverse, you will find Nevada Joe’s vest. The beaded wolf on the upper back is taken from the baby belt that had been beaded for his mother. Truly Canadian, the hockey emblems and the number of his favourite player will be familiar to many colleagues, particularly Senator Loffreda, and reflect this young man’s passion for Canada’s game and his pride in his Yukon First Nation. These are just two samples from the exhibition.

Honourable senators, you will also note that the postcard advises you of the dates of the next exhibit: June 15 to September 21, at Canada House in Trafalgar Square in London, England. Senators and other Canadians who find themselves there, please do stop by and see these pieces of living Yukon history, an opportunity to share our reconciliation journey, Honouring Our Future, and to celebrate the Children of Tomorrow, who are leading us into the future today.

Safe travels to these pieces and the curators who care for them.

Thank you. Shä̀w níthän. Gùnáłchîsh. Mahsi’cho.