Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, recent media reports have quoted Minister Ootes as saying that we can expect to see more funding for day cares in the Northwest Territories. I certainly hope those reports were accurate and if so, I congratulate the Minister. Financial support for day care has not kept up with inflation. Rates have not changed since the early 90s. The increases are long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, day care funding is a big issue across the territories. Facilities in both Yellowknife and Hay River have recently run into financial difficulty, but I know many facilities across the Northwest Territories are constantly struggling to make ends meet, often through bingos, raffles and bake sales. Mr. Speaker, we have nearly 3,700 pre-school age children in our territory. As this government's early childhood development plan notes, the most critical time in a child's development is before they turn six. An investment in good childcare yields a two-to-one payback in economic benefits. Our kids' future is too important not to make this investment.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Programs, of which I am a member, has consistently asked that more funding be put into early childhood programs like day care. Minister Ootes' response is welcome. Now we will be watching tomorrow's budget to see if the new funding will be sufficient to address the shortcomings in the current system.

However, Mr. Speaker, increasing funding for day care will not likely solve all of the problems. The department also needs to provide better support to boards and organizations that run day cares. I hope the Minister will also develop a process to provide training for volunteer boards in areas like accounting and administration. We will all reap the benefits of such an investment.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the volunteers who sit on boards for day cares and the generally underpaid staff who work in the centres. We owe them our gratitude for a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause