Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. Mr. Speaker this is Literacy Week in the Northwest Territories.

Literacy is more than just the ability to read and write -- literacy skills reflect a person's ability to understand and use information. Literacy is also important to maintain and support the aboriginal languages and cultural traditions of the Territories.

Literacy requires the support of all Northerners. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has supported 30 community-based literacy projects. Eighteen more projects are being delivered by the colleges.

We also recognize that improving basic skills among employees in both the private and public sectors is critical to the long-term development of the Northwest Territories. The Department is developing a workplace education strategy which will broaden our literacy partnership with businesses, unions, and community-based employers.

Another important partner is the N.W.T. Literacy Council, which plays a vital role in developing and maintaining links among literacy practitioners. Earlier this fall the Council sponsored a successful literacy training event which attracted more than 70 educators from across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, Literacy Week is also a time to honour the people dedicated to literacy and I am pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Literacy Recognition Awards:

• Mary King, of Hay River, has volunteered at the local elementary school where she has helped children improve their reading. She organized a summer reading program for students and has been involved with the local parent action committee.

• Helene Usherwood is the Adult Education Instructor at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife. She has developed a program grounded in the cultures of First Nations and Metis people. It has helped raise learners' self-awareness and self-confidence.

• Dorothy Beaulieu has taught kindergarten and the Chipewyan language and culture program at Deninoo School in Fort Resolution for 21 years. She is well-respected by the school staff and the community.

• Nunia Qanatsiaq has been involved in literacy as both an educator in Hall Beach and as a student in the teacher education program at Nunavut Arctic College. While completing her Bachelor of Education degree in Iqaluit, Nunia volunteered as the editor of the College's student newspaper. Through Nunia's hard work the newspaper has become the most popular reading material at the College. It has encouraged a great deal of student writing.

• Sheila Purvis has worked in the field of literacy for more than 40 years. For the past eight years she has lived in Fort Smith, where she has delivered a high quality English program at the Thebacha Campus, established a Skills Development Centre for students with special learning needs, and has instructed in the Certificate in Adult Education Program for both Colleges.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate these award winners, and thank them for their commitment to literacy in the Northwest Territories. I invite the Members of this House to join me for a brief presentation of the Literacy Awards in the Great Hall later this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.