Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you can see today, some of my colleagues are speaking on literacy. With the recent announcement by the Conservative government to cut a number of programs, the organization taking the biggest cut is the NWT Literacy Council, who, I understand, will lose approximately $300,000 in funding or one-third of their budget. This is a crying shame, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the way the Conservative government made the announcement, without consulting the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, shows a lack of respect for provincial and territorial governments. How will the Department of ECE find funds within their budget to replace the $300,000 that is vital to continue literacy programs for NWT residents?
Mr. Speaker, over the last few years we have strived, as a government, to enable residents to become literate by providing assistance to the NWT Literacy Council to assist local people in their communities so they can provide workshops for capacity building, tutoring workshops, et cetera. Mr. Speaker, in order for our people across the territory to survive in today's society, we need to continue to provide funding to the colleges, schools and adult education facilities so that the students can enhance their literacy skills and become self-sufficient and employable. How can we do this when the federal government made these cuts? This is a step backward, in my opinion, because once again we, as aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, suffer the consequences and once again will have to rely on government hand outs.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, does the Conservative government know the importance of literacy and the unique situation of our vast and beautiful territory? With these recent cuts, Mr. Speaker, I don't think so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause