Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have said many times in this House, education in the Northwest Territories is a clear example of community empowerment at the regional level through the divisional education councils. Yes, councils can make that kind of decision. I would like to, at the same time, point out that the research overwhelmingly indicates that social promotion is in fact the best way to proceed. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, the child who repeats a grade is unsuccessful the second time through, so there is no benefit to holding a child back.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg to differ with those reports. I have not seen them, but I came through a school system where testing was a part of the process, and I think it is human nature to know how well you are doing and to be able to react to that. What would be required by the education council or the education authority being that it is strictly Inuvik? What would be the process in making these changes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be quite happy to share the information with the Member. I am sure that Members of the divisional education council have access to the same information that demonstrates that children forced to repeat a grade are almost never successful in the repetition. In answer to the question, the district education authority should approach the divisional education council to discuss the situation. Whether the council would agree to an authority changing or adopting that rule on its own, I cannot say. The first step would be for the authority to discuss with the council their desire to see a change in the program.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister stated that allowing the student to automatically move forward with their peers seems to be the best option. I guess my concerns would come out of the fact that we have seen the statistics of a large drop out that seems to be happening at the grade nine area. Has the Minister's department compared numbers and results of an automatic pass system and where the drop out rate increases, in comparison to being left behind for a year if they did not achieve the levels? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said, all the research that I have seen, the data, supports the argument for social promotion, overwhelmingly. I believe it is important we recognize the changes such as school attendance and school graduation are generational. In Canada in mid-1960s, the graduation rate from high school was 25 percent. It has taken 30 years to go from 25 percent to approximately 70 percent. In the Northwest Territories, it will take some time to see that change take place. We have, in the last five years, had our high school attendance rates increase from the 40 percent mark to 85 percent this year. That is a dramatic change in a short period of time. It will take longer for the graduation rate to follow.

The graduation rate is dependent not just on attending school, but in many cases, in community and family support for the student to graduate. We do not have as long a history in the Northwest Territories as the rest of Canada for the support to see our students finish school. That is coming however. We can clearly point to a trend that shows the increases are there and that the trends are very positive. It will take some time to achieve the Canadian standards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe in the community that I come from we were at one time close, or equal to, the Canadian standards, as the Minister has raised. Does the Minister have any reports as to why we seem to be dropping in quality when you speak to parents and their way of seeing things. They are the ones that see their children in school and see the results and in a lot of cases are beginning to send them to southern institutions for higher education. Does the Minister have any reports or studies done in that area that would suggest that the decline would be linked to automatic passes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I had indicated earlier, the overall data for the Northwest Territories, both east and west, shows an improvement in the completion rates and in participation rates in high school. I cannot speak specifically for Inuvik. I will endeavour to find out what statistics are available for Inuvik and report to the Member. There is no correlation between standards of achievement and social promotion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the programs for Nunavut Arctic College and for Aurora College are set in consultation with the boards. The boards make a proposal for the programs that they wish to provide within the base funding that is provided to them. They make that proposal to my office. It is reviewed by the department, and they then recommend to me whether I should approve or not approve the programs as recommended by the board.

It is the boards of the two colleges that determine what programs will be offered. I do not, in my tenure as Minister, recall there being any refusal of a program that a college wanted to offer by my office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Public Works and Services. The Minister has fielded a tremendous amount of questions with respect to the Keewatin resupply, so I can barely think of any more questions that have not been asked.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to, just for a moment, articulate a concern that I have and ask the Minister to respond to it. Mr. Speaker, this government has constantly maintained that it can no longer be the engine that drives the northern economy. Given this, Mr. Speaker, we have a company, like Northern Transportation Company Limited, who are northern owned and operated. They are a territorial, corporate model citizen, recipient of aboriginal employment award, and I believe they deserve the utmost in consideration and respect by this government.

When they initially started out it was a Crown corporation purchased by two aboriginal development groups. They were given a designation of carrier of choice, in order to assist them in getting started and I believe that their accomplishments have been major. If anybody has stepped on board an NTCL tug lately, or walked into an NTCL office, they would have been met by people who are beneficiary shareholders in that company.

Mr. Speaker, having said that, I would like to receive assurances from the Minister that he has given consideration to the far reaching ramifications of any disruption to the existing provision of services of this corporate northern client. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Minister refers to the significant savings that will be generated by the new proposed Keewatin resupply regime, is the Minster aware that the NTCL Career Development Program continues to grow and benefit the people of communities throughout Nunavut? That the 1997 Keewatin programs saw the employment of various individuals as deck hands, pump men, managers, clerks, checkers and two positions in marine maintenance? These position were filled from the communities of Coral Harbour, Chesterfield Inlet, Arviat, Gjoa Haven and Yellowknife. Is the Minister aware of these benefits?