Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we need to be careful that we don't miss an opportunity to celebrate the fact that our graduation rate has nearly doubled to the point it has gotten to 50 percent. It's important to remember that the Canadian graduation rate was about 25 percent in the 1960s. It's now, across Canada, just under 70 percent. To make that kind of change over the period of time that's happened, 40, 50 years, and then compare it to how we've doubled our graduation rate in the space of 10 or 12 years, it's pretty amazing what we've done here in the North.

While I would agree with the Member that 50 percent is not good enough, what we are doing to ensure that we get a better graduation rate is ensuring that our programs are much improved in the smaller communities, because that's where the challenge is.