Merci, Monsieur le President. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment recently released a discussion paper on Governance of Post-Secondary Education in the Northwest Territories, a discussion paper that I've been eagerly awaiting for some time given my commitment to accountable and relevant post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories.

The mandate of our Government states that the GNWT will begin to "expand opportunities for post-secondary education, trades-oriented learning, and northern education institutions." This discussion paper contains some important statements. The discussion paper focuses on the need for quality assurance to ensure that, if students study in the NWT, then their qualifications will stand up anywhere in the world.

What this discussion paper lays out explicitly is that quality assurance is critical to sound fiscal investment in post-secondary education. However, there is currently no quality assurance for Aurora College Programs that are not rented from other jurisdictions. As I understand it, it is the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment who approves these programs.

How is it then fiscally and socially responsible, as suggested by this discussion paper, that Aurora College will not be subject to the rigors of the changes to the Education Act? Further to the discussion paper, Mr. Speaker, how is it that Aurora College, with the vast majority of its programs unaccredited, will remain the only public-funded body that can provide adult-learning in the Northwest Territories?

We need to lead as a jurisdiction to implement evidence-based best practices for all of our financial investments.

Given what little data on success rates and success outcomes are at the college, how can this government continue to support a post-secondary governance position where the future of NWT post-secondary education will be monopolized by a failing arm of Education, Culture and Employment when Indigenous self-governments and student-focused success stories like Dechinta are relegated to private Indigenous institutions that can only be privately funded, with only the possibility of small and uncertain government grants?

The situation of accreditation at the college is even more curious when you consider that a post-secondary institution in the NWT already has a form of quality assurance for its courses without a need for legislative change or a foundational review. That's Dechinta Bush University, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, sound and accountable investment in post-secondary education is the cornerstone of future labour market success. We need to do this now, we need to move on, and we need to make sure we are supporting all of our institutions, not just those that are run by this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.