Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The supplementary grants which aboriginal students receive includes a number of support services. They include child care, return for airfare for students' dependents, special equipment and clothing allowance, tuition allowance, special accommodation allowance, special transportation allowance for emergency purposes, and also a maintenance allowance where the student's dependents maintain separate households.
The current structure would change that into one basic allowance. On top of that not only would the students be receiving a basic allowance, they would still be able to access an accommodation allowance. An accommodation of the basic DIAND rate, any accommodation allowance still keeps this program as the best support program for aboriginal people in Canada in terms of student financial support. If I just go through an example, if you had a case where an individual is a single parent going through a program outside of a place of residence, right today they would be receiving $15,268 from the Government of the Northwest Territories. If they were an aboriginal student in western Canada funded through the provincial system they would be receiving $10,500. If they were funded through our program as we currently redesign it, they would be funded at the level of $16,471. So, there are some adjustments on the upward side for particularly students who have dependents.