Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are real people affected by education budget cuts. There are five women in the social work access program at Aurora College here in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, when Aurora College decided to cut the social work program, it meant that five families were adversely affected and were hurt by this decision. Aurora College made that decision because the government asked them to make program cuts.
Mr. Speaker, no new students can go into the social work program next fall, which means that the program the students are in now, the program that they've invested their SFA in, is now worthless. The Department of Education's decision has ruined the professional dreams of the students. The decision determined that these students will not be able to be social workers in their own home communities.
Mr. Speaker, students were informed on February 2nd that the social work program that they had worked so hard towards had been cut. They were left with no idea what will become of them. They are heartbroken. Some of the students relocated to Yellowknife for this course and are full-time mothers on top of heavy school workloads, and have sacrificed a lot to get where they are. They have worked long, hard hours on their education, and now it has been taken from them. All of the goals that they have worked towards have been pulled out from underneath them.
Mr. Speaker, they have received government grants for their education. Their education is their right. How can the government take that from them? They were directed towards this path by SFA, income support, and other career counsellors.
Mr. Speaker, after all this hard work and effort, they were stuck and financially devastated by these budget cuts. The government wants Northerners to stay and contribute to their communities, yet they have destroyed the hopes of students in the social work access program. The students feel that this is brutally unfair, and something needs to be done.
People from the government came to see the students this past fall and talked about Skills 4 Success, yet the government is cutting college programs that would help students make something of themselves and help them be a part of the future of their communities. Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.