Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the comments of all my colleagues who chose to speak today. Of course I think it’s well established that UCEP does exist out there, but it runs out early every year and is insufficient to meet the need.

Mr. Speaker, I realize that because of our failed educational system and our lack of adequate counselling so even parents don’t realize that their students are getting an inadequate education or diploma until long after they graduate, this situation where we have been responsible creates a responsibility for dealing with it. The Minister has made some reference to upcoming action, which I think we all look forward as a solution and in response to this motion, but there are clearly gaps out there. As those of us that listen closely to our constituents have heard repeatedly, Mr. Speaker, I assure the Minister and all in the House that we have not picked this motion out of the air.

We have slowly achieved greater graduation rates. We are now up to 55 percent in the Northwest Territories, and I think that shows that we are working hard on this. We still have a long ways to go. However, if our students are graduating with certificates or diplomas that are hollow in terms of their potential to pursue post-secondary, it’s not getting them where we want them to be able to go. That’s exactly what this motion is attempting to address.

We need an extra effort and a fund specifically to address this. I’m not expecting that we’re going to be able to fund all those 100 students in the first year, Mr. Speaker. What I’m saying is we have a gap here. We do not have sufficient funding for the demand that’s out there. Let’s improve that. We have this bolus of people… I’m hoping that the department will actually deal with this problem so we don’t have it any longer. In the meantime, we do have this situation where we have perhaps half a

generation of graduates with inadequacies in terms of their ability to pursue their goals.

As the motion recognizes, there are some options out there, as we’ve heard and as the motion points out, but these are insufficient options for a number of reasons: financial capacity issues, barriers to accessing programs, young people who are starting out with their families and facing unique problems associated with that. Those that would speak out against this motion show a lack of insight into the issue that people in our small communities are facing and are bringing to our attention. This motion is specifically to respond to that.

Mr. Speaker, this is particularly good timing in recognition of the Minister’s comments that he’s conducting a review of student financial assistance, so I appreciate his mentioning that fact. I would expect that solutions will be included in that review to this situation. I look forward to those solutions.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, this motion is all about giving people the opportunity to pursue their goals in terms of learning and the opportunities to fulfill their potential as human beings and members of our communities. I appreciate the support of the House. Mr. Speaker, I do request a recorded vote. Mahsi.