I listened with interest, Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment spoke about the problems that we are facing in getting Mr. Dryden, the honourable Minister, to recognize that per capita funding does not work in northern communities in the Northwest Territories. I looked into the day care situation in the Northwest Territories and, of course, the Sahtu, and found that the majority of day care spaces are in larger and more urban centres of the Northwest Territories.
In the Sahtu, there are only 59 licensed day care spots, and of those, only 10 are places for infants. Mr. Speaker, how does this government expect anyone to take advantage of the opportunities that are associated with oil and gas exploration, possibly the construction of the Mackenzie gas pipeline, and other resource developments in the North? If they are going to take advantage, they cannot find quality day care for their younger children.
Mr. Speaker, there are no suitable places available for day care programming in smaller communities. That is a fact, Mr. Speaker, and the federal Minister needs to come to terms with this, because our territorial Minister is only carrying the message for him.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that the current day care program is flawed. The realities of life in our communities don't always fit into a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all, government program. The Minister, and the government, need to recognize this and move on. We need a two-tiered program that recognizes day care operators in smaller communities require financial assistance in acquiring their own facilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause