Thank you, Madam Speaker. The NWT school system is based on the philosophy that education must be founded on local culture if it is going to be relevant to students, families and communities. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, boards, divisional boards of education and schools across the Northwest Territories have made a good deal of progress in developing curricula and school programs that are appropriate for the many languages and cultures within the Northwest Territories. Today I would like to announce another important initiative in this area.

This coming September, Inuuqatigiit, a curriculum which enhances and enriches first language and culture for Inuit students, will be piloted in schools in the Baffin, Keewatin, Kitikmeot and Beaufort-Delta regions.

Inuuqatigiit, which is designed for students from kindergarten to grade 12, is the first curriculum designed in the north which reflects the Inuit perspective. Inuuqatigiit means Inuit to Inuit, people to people, or family to family. It also implies a togetherness and unity between people. Enhancing unity for the benefit of students, teachers, schools and communities is the most fundamental goal of the curriculum.

The curriculum is to be used by Inuinnait, Inuvialuit and Inuit across the Northwest Territories. To ensure that the concerns and priorities of all Nunavut regions are well-represented, Inuuqatigiit was developed by an advisory committee of Inuit educators from the four regions in which the curriculum will be used. These committee members have worked extensively with people in their regions, including educators, parents, key community members and elders. The elders have played a central role by providing important resource information and validating the curriculum as the work has progressed. It is the knowledge of the elders that gives the curriculum the true sense of Inuit culture.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to individually recognize and thank the members of the Inuuqatigiit advisory committee for their dedication and commitment to development this curriculum. They are: Rose Marie Kirby of Inuvik, representing the Beaufort-Delta; Millie Kitupana and Rosemarie Meyok, both of Coppermine, representing the Kitikmeot; Guita Anawak of Rankin Inlet, Eva Noah of Baker Lake and Elisapee Karetak of Arviat, representing the Keewatin; and, Naullaq Arnaquq of Iqaluit, representing the Baffin. The committee's work has been coordinated by Liz Apak Rose, the Inuktitut curriculum coordinator for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Madam Speaker, Inuuqatigiit will play an important role in enhancing Inuit culture and language. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause