Nunavik MP honours Cst. Steve Dery in the House of Commons
"Steve, thank you for your service, you made our region a better place"
Romeo Saganash, the MP for the riding Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, stood up in the House of Commons March 7, “with a heavy heart,” to recognize Cst. Steve Dery of the Kativik Regional Police Force died March 2 while responding to a call in Kuujjuaq.
Saganash, speaking mainly in French, called Dery “a hero who died serving our region with passion and valour.”
“In the North, we depend on our police to keep our communities safe and they do this working in small numbers in a difficult environment. Despite these difficulties, members of the police, such as the Kativik Regional Police Force, go well beyond the call of duty to ensure the well-being of our communities,” Saganash said,
Saganash noted that Dery came from a family that values public service: “his brother Benoît serves as a firefighter for the City of Ottawa, while his mother worked as a nurse in the region.”
“Steve has also followed in the footsteps of his father, Gilles, a member of the RCMP on a UN mission when he heard the tragic news,” he said.
“On behalf of the people of Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, I wish to offer my deepest condolences to the family of Steve, Gilles and Celine, his brothers Mathieu and Benoît and all his relatives. Steve, thank you for your service, you made our region a better place.”
Saganash also mentioned “the lasting impact” that Dery had on people in Kangirsuk who held a memorial in his honour on March 6.
