Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We need a pilot car to drive home the idea of having a driver education program in our school communities, small schools. Mr. Daryl Dolynny, Member for Range Lake, last week spoke about this. He actually made a suggestion. Minister Ramsay, Minister of Transportation, talked about how the Department of Education and Department of Transportation are working together in regards to driver education programs in our schools. I think it’s time we have a pilot project by next year. When it makes sense, such as our need to invest in our children and into our future, give our youth a challenge to take the opportunities on the road to success.

The 17th Assembly Caucus priority states,

“believing in people” and I believe this is a doable project for the reasons I will state. Creating a pilot project in the schools, in the small communities especially, we have regional disparity. Sixty-seven percent of young drivers, aged 15 to 24 years, in Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Hay River have their licence, compared to 33 percent in the small communities aged 15 to 24. That’s regional disparity.

Now, the Minister goes on to talk about the Project Gearshift. So I tell the Minister, it’s about time we get a high school that will give them incentives to get to school and to have an actual driver education training program. Will Project Gearshift actually give the youth a driver’s licence? What services and programs do we have to wait for? How long will a qualified driver instructor come to our communities and to our school? Where do they get their Class 5 driver’s licence? Well, that can change. Go to school.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

---Unanimous consent granted