Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a similar question in regard to the student grants and whatnot. I was talking to an individual who mentioned to me that aboriginal students going to Alberta can get more semesters and more years of university by way of bursaries than they can in the Northwest Territories — say if you want to go for your doctorate or your master’s or your PhD or whatever — because it’s based on the program that you’re taking, not on the semesters that you have to take to get that support.
I know in the 13th Assembly there was a cut to the
program, and they were supposed to look at it as part of the cost-cutting measures. One of the things that they cut out was the bursaries and the years that you can get added on if you go for your doctorate or for your master’s or where you’re basically able to achieve it; or even go for a law degree where you’re looking at four or six years, but you’re only covered for four years. So I’m wondering if that’s something the department has been looking at in regard to re-profiling this program by way of the student loan program and seeing exactly how we measure up to other jurisdictions from aboriginal to non-aboriginal — just see exactly how we compare to, say, Alberta next door, by way of the programs that we do deliver.