Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I -- absenteeism of our students across the Northwest Territories is a huge issue and has a direct and significant impact on the education outcomes of NWT children in every single community, in small communities, in regional centres, and in Yellowknife. It is one of the strongest ways that we can support our students to succeed is by making sure that they're in school. And it is remarkable -- and I don't have the data with me but I'd be happy to show the Member -- that when a student misses, you know, even a couple of days here and there, it very quickly adds up to an entire school year, and it's very easy for those days to get away from us. And so this is certainly something that I hear about from one end of the territory to the other. I hear about it with Indigenous governments. I hear about it with parents. I hear about it with community members. I've even had an elder come and tell me about they can remember a time where, you know, elders would be sitting in front of the post office yelling at kids that weren't in class and saying get to school or get a job, but you're not on the streets, off you go. And so I really want to thank the Member for bringing this up because this is incredibly important.

There are communities and community governments that are definitely working on this one. For example, even local community leadership and the community as well working with the school board to advocate jointly for ensuring that at a local level that there is family awareness and that they are encouraging kids to go to school, encouraging families to get their kids to school.

There are also communities in the NWT who -- small communities in the NWT are saying, okay, what do our kids want? They want bikes. Let's support them with bikes and get them in the classroom, and if they go to class they get a bike. So there are different communities that are really focusing on different ways that they can support this because the Member is absolutely right, it is everybody from principals, superintendents, teachers, parents, community members, and kids themselves. Even encouraging a student that is missing in the desk next to them has a huge impact. I think that sometimes we just need to know that we're noticed when we're not around, and whether you're an adult or a child, that you matter in the classroom. I went from even Yellowknife to a school -- want me to stop talking? Okay, sorry.