Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to speak about education in our small communities. In 2013 the Alberta Achievement Test results show that the Northwest Territories is not doing very well. Actually, this test is a measurement of our education system in the Northwest Territories, and when you look at it, the results are pretty glim and bleak in the small communities. We do have a commonality with the larger centres. When you look at the results from the small communities and larger centres like Yellowknife and Hay River and Inuvik and Smith, there’s a commonality that connects us, and that shows in the results of testing the grades 10 and 11 students. That’s where the results show that the students dip below the percentage. It goes down.

There’s something happening for the students right across the North by grades 10 and 11. Attendance grades are up, then all of a sudden they all drop no matter where you are, Yellowknife, Smith, Hay River or in Colville Lake or Deline. The attendance drops and slightly peaks at Grade 11. So that’s the factor that shows our system isn’t well.

If you look at the other tests, our small communities are way below 50 percent. Students are operating below their grade level, meaning that they can’t

comprehend. If you have a Grade 3 here in Yellowknife and a Grade 3 in Fort Good Hope, they’re not at the same level. They’re actually maybe at Grade 1 or Grade 2 at the best, so we’re failing them at that level.

I wanted to talk about what will it take to provide a quality education. The Minister talked about the four programs as being the foundation, and this is only for academics. There are students who do not want to be a doctor or a teacher; there are students who want to be in the trades. Like the Budget Dialogue says, we need to put screwdrivers and hammers in their hands to make a living.

So, I will ask the Minister, at the appropriate time, some questions on my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.