Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. (English not provided)

...wide variety of services throughout the summer, critical to tourism, recreation and youth activities through a partnership with the GNWT Youth Employment Program.

Throughout the last three years, the village has received enough partnership funding for nine to 11 summer student positions, ranging from staff for the community pool, tourism information centre and many other summer youth activities.

This year the village will only be able to hire one person with the assistance of the Education, Culture and Employment Youth Employment Program. This program also gave the youth experience, skills, responsibilities and the ability to save money for academics in the fall. The confidence that the youth received from these employment programs is invaluable to the development of themselves and the communities.

Many constituents have asked me during my most recent community tour, why the sudden and drastic cuts. The Youth Employment Program under the Wage Subsidy Program has been virtually removed from the base funding. This program was very well used in the community of Fort Simpson, by the village and many other businesses. The program is not intended as a yearly funding source for organizations to deliver programs, ECE responded. If this is the case, the communities have a difference in understanding. ECE did not give adequate notice to the communities so the applicants could prepare accordingly and in time. Today, many communities are in the position to cancel summer youth employment targets. If the community governments were not faced with the increasing costs and decreasing revenue, they may have the capacity to continue with the programs. The reality is that they do not.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we have a gallery full of students and our government should do our best for them as they are our future. Mahsi cho.

---Applause