Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the Member for bringing forward this proposed amendment. As Minister responsible for Education, I believe that the NWT superintendents, principals, and teachers know their students best. They want their students to be successful as do all of us here in this House and to have a variety of options available to them upon completion of their high school program.

Schools will schedule the appropriate hours of instructions that they believe their students require to successfully complete their coursework. I think it is important for all Members to remember that the proposed 945 hours of instruction represents the minimum hours of instruction, not the maximum hours of instruction. Therefore, schools will still be able to schedule more than 945 hours if they feel it best meets the needs of their students. Mr. Chair, schools will inevitably make the best decisions for scheduling the appropriate hours of instruction for their students to require successful completion of their high school programs. Therefore, Cabinet is not in a position to support this motion before us. Thank you, Mr. Chair.