Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the teachers have voted in favour of ratifying a collective agreement.

--Applause

This means that we now have a negotiated agreement for teachers for the period September 1, 1996 to August 31, 1999. Negotiations for this collective agreement, Mr. Speaker, were arduous and quite difficult. Throughout this process our teachers maintained poise and conducted themselves in a most professional manner. Mr. Speaker, education is a priority for the people of the Northwest Territories. We value and appreciate our teachers and the work they do to educate our children.

I strongly believe in the process of negotiations for solving our problems. The bargaining teams on both sides conducted themselves as professional negotiators. Mr. Speaker, I will be sending personal letters of appreciation to my representatives. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my appreciation to each member of the Northwest Territories Teachers Association's bargaining team. Mr. Speaker, I have been a member of a union bargaining team and I fully appreciate the complexity of the politics of trying to find solutions that will satisfy everyone's interests. Mr. Speaker, my appreciation for their perseverance, dedication and hard work in representing the interest of teachers go to Pat Thomas, Erin Blair, Donna Stephania, Ray Young, Cliff King and Blake Lyons. Thank you.

--Applause