Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have spent a lot of time in the 18th Assembly talking about the importance of a diversified economy. We want to rely less on one big sector, so we are supporting other sectors like tourism, agriculture, and the creative arts. We will continue to nurture and grow these areas so that they become sustainable sources of jobs and wealth.

How do we get there, Mr. Speaker? We need to have more post-secondary choices available here in the North. We also need to make sure that our students who choose to go to school elsewhere are well-equipped to face those challenges. In particular, we need to encourage Indigenous students to pursue post-secondary programs.

A study from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation finds that there are barriers to post-secondary education for Indigenous students. Those barriers include a lack of financial resources and a lack of academic preparation. Indigenous students feel unwelcome on post-secondary campuses, plus more Indigenous students are already married and raising children, or are single and raising children at the age when they are eligible for post-secondary programs.

Mr. Speaker, the common phrase is that "our young people are our future." If that's true, and we imagine a future full of possibility and growth, we need to remove these barriers to allow our young people to follow their dreams.

Our post-secondary programs that succeed, such as Aurora College and Dechinta Bush University, offer students the chance to achieve the skills needed to build their lives and careers without leaving the North. That is a capacity that we must build and grow, Mr. Speaker, and we can build on it on our terms.

That is also the lesson of the Dechinta Bush University, which takes a unique, northern approach to higher learning. It incorporates the knowledge of Dene elders and knowledge holders. Instead of bringing students inside a classroom, it takes education onto the land. It provides full daycare services focused on Dene language and traditions, so young families don't have to choose between education and the wage economy. Significantly, Dechinta has a dropout rate of zero.

Mr. Speaker, I see unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted.