Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about education in the Northwest Territories as I have been doing for some time. Mr. Speaker, as we heard earlier today and in the past, putting money into education is investing in the future. I read in one of the reports that the Department of Education has put out that investing one dollar today will save four to five dollars in the future. We also know that the education rates in the Northwest Territories are virtually bordering on the same rates as third world countries, excluding large centres such as Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, studies have been done all over the world showing that poorly educated people tax the resources of governments because they have no jobs or the worst paying jobs. They are also less healthy than better educated people. They do not live as long as better educated people. They are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs and they are more likely to end up in jail, at some point in their life.
Mr. Speaker, I think we all want healthier people who are more likely to not abuse alcohol and drugs and more likely to stay out of jail. I feel the answer is simple. We simply need to put more money into education even if it means going into a deficit. Thank you.