Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree with the Member that Aboriginal Head Start has proven to be extremely successful in the North. It's been a very good program and helps young children be better prepared for school, better prepared to learn. The one advantage we have in the North is that there has been an evaluation done of the program. That booklet that was released last week, and that we celebrated here in the Great Hall, I think will help us demonstrate to the federal government the reasons why they should continue on with the program. The situation right now is not one where the program has been threatened to be cut. The federal government has made no threat at all to do that, but the operators of the programs are wanting to get out ahead of the game and make sure they are not forgotten. They know the program was introduced with a sunset of 2008, or the funding through 2008-09. So next year's funding, as I understand it, is there through until 2008. So I think what they were doing last week was identifying their concern that they want to make sure that it isn't left until the last minute and they want support to make the federal government think about it sooner rather than later.
I think that's a good approach, because most of us around this table know that we started work on this budget last June. I have no doubt that the federal government follows a similar process, so now is the time to start to talk to the feds about getting something into that budget if it's not already there. I am committed to write to the federal Minister responsible to ask if they will commit to renewing the program. If we find out that they are not prepared to, then the Member makes a good suggestion and it's an item I would take up with my colleagues from the provinces and territories about Education Ministers being a lobby group that could ask the federal government to reconsider a position should it come to that.
I think right now with the tremendous success seen not only in the Northwest Territories but all across Canada with this program, I am confident that the federal government will see that it's a very worthwhile investment and want to continue with it.