Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Hamlet of Aklavik, the Aklavik Community Corporation, the Aklavik Indian Band, and the Ehdiitat Gwich'in Council recently came together to discuss a subject of great significance to the community and its residents.

I refer to the planned replacement of Moose Kerr School, a building first constructed almost 50 years ago. This replacement was something highly anticipated by the community of Aklavik. As I have said in the past, it is not just a school; the building is used year-round for community and sporting events, for celebrations, for public talks, and more. Like I did, residents understood from the work of the previous Assembly that a replacement project was forthcoming. After all, according to the GNWT's planning standards replacements typically come 20 years after a major retrofit, and Moose Kerr's last major retrofit was in 1999.

For several years now, I have been told in this House that Moose Kerr School was identified for renovations or replacement in 2018-2019. For several years now, the people of Aklavik have been waiting, but now we are told that, thanks to the "government's commitment to ongoing maintenance and improvement," Moose Kerr can wait another 20 years.

Mr. Speaker, our territory is a diverse one with diverse needs, and I understand the difficult calculations Ministers must make when setting the five-year capital plan, but I am gravely disappointed, Mr. Speaker, by the suggestion that sensible economy and sound asset management in Aklavik means that the community's needs take a back seat to other communities' needs. The four organizations I mentioned earlier agree: a replacement is needed, and this government's capital planning must reflect this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will have questions later today.