Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and congratulations. At this time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of the Mackenzie Delta for electing me for another four-year term. With that, I would like to raise an issue which is on the minds of all people outside of Yellowknife; the teachers' strike and the impact it is having.
I think it is important for us to realize one of the most vulnerable groups in our society is our children. The children have put their lives in the hands of politicians, teachers and educators. We need to make sure the parents and the community as a whole have a role to play in the upbringing of our children.
We gave the teachers the right to strike and raise issues and concerns they have to ensure they are treated fairly. In saying that, I would like everybody to know the teachers outside of Yellowknife are impacted more seriously by issues such as isolation, shortage of housing, cost of living and other essentials which we may take for granted in a large centre.
I think we should focus on the most pressing issues. A lot of the issues that are coming to the table are political. They have to be resolved in this House.
We talk about class size. We talk about the lack of funding for special needs students. We talk about setting priorities. I find it awfully frustrating being in this House when we have an incident such as this strike. To have to make a decision between the education of our people and institutionalizing people in jails. We spend almost $80,000 a year to keep one inmate in jail, yet we say we do not have money to educate our children. I will continue to do what I do best, and that is raise issues.
With that, I would like to thank you all, and I look forward to working with you over the next four years.
-- Applause