Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the honourable Minister for his opening remarks. We all know that, at this point in time, we have to do with less and everyone has to sacrifice because the things we used to have are no longer there, but we also know that education is a priority of this government.

I had the opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to talk to three chairpersons of the boards from Keewatin, Kitikmeot and Baffin during the 12th Assembly. During a few discussions I had, the impression I got from the discussion was that the three chairpersons don't want to see amalgamation or have one board in the Nunavut area, once Nunavut becomes a reality. One of the concerns I got from the chairman of the Kitikmeot region was what happened to the smallest region in the jurisdiction of Nunavut. With the smallest board becoming the member of one large divisional board, would they have fair representation? I do not speak for the three chairpersons of the Nunavut area. I only know what I heard from the talk I had with the chairperson of the Kitikmeot Divisional Board of Education. I share the same concern. It is my understanding that the NIC was the body that recommended to have one divisional board for the Nunavut area. As I mentioned, I share the same concern as the chairperson of the Kitikmeot educational board -- that it should be separate -- and I'll tell you why, Mr. Chairman. In some cases, when a small community is part of a larger entity, there are times when the voice from the smaller body or community is not heard. That was one of the concerns that came from the chairperson of the Kitikmeot divisional board.

I agree with the idea of having to do with less. We may not have all the money that we thought we would have once 1999 comes. We hear from the honourable Minister, Ron Irwin, that we're going to have to do with less than what we anticipated to begin with. Mr. Chairman, going back to the reduction that we have been talking about since we got elected during the 13th Assembly, as education is a priority and divisional boards in the jurisdictions will have to be consulted about how much this government has cut from their budget, realizing that the young people's future is at stake here, realizing that everyone has to prepare for the future, I'm wondering if the honourable Minister of Education has had a chance to talk to the divisional boards, namely in the Kitikmeot region, about what they should expect from this government; doing with less yet maintaining essential programs and services of this government, given that one area that must be considered, Mr. Chairman, is forced growth within the community of the NWT. Has the honourable Minister had a meeting with the Nunavut Divisional Board about what they should expect from this government's reductions so that they can prepare for the education of people for 1999?

Everyone in the Nunavut area talks about us needing jobs for the people of Nunavut, especially beneficiaries. However, if they don't have the required education, we may have to import from our southern neighbourhood. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.