Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak to the issue of opportunities for employment for Northerners after completing post-secondary education. Coincidentally, Mr. Speaker, my statement ties in nicely with what Mr. Krutko and Mr. Barnabas had to say. As the numbers of young people graduating from northern high schools increases, so will the number of students seeking post secondary education in northern and southern colleges and universities. This was just recently indicated in the Member's statement for the North Slave who had told us of the number of students from his riding that were now in southern post-secondary institutions. I believe this is a great credit to the efforts of Mr. Rabesca's constituents in the area of education. Again today, we have heard the statistics from a speaker/author at the Prospects North conference that in the

western Arctic, 30 percent of the population is under the age of 15 and in Nunavut, 40 percent is under the age of 15 years.

I believe that we need to be especially proactive and innovative here in the north in the area of education given the challenges of a very young population and the emerging opportunities for them. It is not enough to pay lip service to this challenge while in reality to see many newcomers arriving in the north daily with the necessary skills to take up the demand in our labour market. While I believe that the support to northern students is significant in terms of student financial assistance, I do not believe that this is enough. Many students complete their post secondary education only to be burdened for many initial years of their working lives by the debts they have incurred in acquiring that education.

I am concerned that there is not a sufficiently focused effort in finding work placements suited to their qualifications here in the north for those who choose to return. We invest a tremendous amount of money in the education of a child and too often when they desire to return to the north to work, they are thwarted by obstacles. I would like to see a program whereby every northern student who acquires credentials in areas employable by the private or public sector in the north could be guaranteed, yes Mr. Speaker, guaranteed the option of hands-on experience for a period of time after graduation, similar to the articling period in the field of law or accounting or an extended practicum such as they have in areas such as nursing, social services and teaching. It could be considered a mentoring, apprenticing or a trainee period. It could accomplish a number of things. It would give them the opportunity to receive a sound base of experience in the field of their interest and would provide them with an opportunity to repay their student loans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hardly ever seek unanimous consent, but I would like to have it today to conclude my statement.