Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For students who take the same courses, no matter what the community is, those marks in those places represent the same achievement. That's because in Grade 12 we use Alberta departmental exams. They count for at least 50 percent to the student's mark. So whether the student is in Tulita or here in Yellowknife, they have to pass the same exam in order to pass the course. So in that way, we know that student achievement is the same.

One of the issues we think may be a problem with people thinking that achievement is less in the small communities is that oftentimes students and parents don't understand that a choice they make on a course in Grade 9 may require the student to take a course in upgrading in order to pursue the course they want in college. That's a big issue in not only the smaller communities, but in the larger communities. We have a lot of students who have to come back and take subsequent courses after graduation in order to pursue the course they want to take in college or university.