Good morning and thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning I would like to take this opportunity to talk about day cares. Mr. Speaker, as the former President of the Iqaluit Childcare Association, and having been and still am accessing day care, it is becoming obvious that the financial implications to students, parents and the different non-profit organizations that are running day cares is becoming of great concern.

Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of years with reductions to wages and increased costs, day cares have had to rely on fund-raising more and more. As we all know with the less dollars available out there, this is starting to have a negative impact on these day cares, because they cannot raise the proper funds to operate the day care. Also the cost of having a child in day care has increased. For example, Mr. Speaker, it costs myself and my wife $320 every two weeks to have our son in day care or $640 a month. Mr. Speaker, in some parts of this country, $640 a month would be a good mortgage payment. The financial help to help offset these costs are very minimal. Volunteer boards are having to deal with higher operating costs and lower monies being generated from fund- raising because of less money, as I said earlier, in the public's pocket.

Mr. Speaker, day cares provide not only essential services, but are also a place where a child can be brought up in a safer environment. Statistics have shown that children attending day cares have better opportunities to improve academically when they go to school. Mr. Speaker, later today, I will be asking the appropriate territorial government Minister on our support to day cares in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.