Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few minutes today to talk about the Student Financial Assistance Program. Mr. Speaker, I have said previously in the House that I consider myself the biggest beneficiary of the education system of the Northwest Territories. I had the privilege of having eight years of post-secondary education with the assistance of the government. I always thought we had a pretty good system. It needed improvement. I am glad I was part of the Assembly that revamped the program earlier in this Session.
Mr. Speaker, I guess we can always say that it can always be better. I am glad we were able to make the progress we did. We do have some problems, as other Members have indicated in this House earlier, there is a question about the grandfathering of the clauses and benefits.
I have met with the people other Members have met, and I am glad the issue was discussed. Another problem has to do with the administrative complications of it. I am hoping the Minister will address that question. What I want to deal with today is a very simple thing the Minister could change to make what we have even better. That has to do with the automatic payment portion of the program.
Today, I heard on the radio that the department is considering changing the payment plans, where the student loans will be paid monthly instead of in installments by semester. What I understand from the students is that they are really having a problem getting to the officers. I have a problem with the department doing it in a way that would take so much more labour. Why is it that when we have a wide available system of automatic payments, the department has to have someone going and depositing these cheques? Why is it that it cannot be done in a way that the payments can be deposited automatically?
I know this is possible, Mr. Speaker, because I still pay back my student loan and they know how to take the money out of my bank account every two weeks. I would think the system is available there to reverse that. I would urge the Minister to make it perfect and address this simple issue immediately. Thank you.
-- Applause