Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’re all aware that we are living in an uncertain economy right now. The lower prices of oil and gas and diamonds have directly affected industrial activity and the northern economy. Exploration is declining and very little development of new activities is going on. That’s why, at this point, it is very important for this government to actively support companies that are willing to invest in our territory. One such company is TerraX, which is currently developing the Yellowknife City Gold Project just north of the capital city. TerraX is making a significant investment in exploration. The company raised $6 million last summer and resumed drilling near Walsh Lake in January. According to Mr. Campbell, TerraX president, in a recent presentation to MLAs it was indicated that the company is fully funded for the exploration through next year. TerraX has also demonstrated positive corporate citizenship in the North. It has shown that its operations can be done in an environmentally sustainable way. It has developed a constructive relationship with respect for Northerners, including the Aboriginal governments. Mr. Speaker, TerraX is an example of a company that is making a genuine long-term commitment to the North. Its activities will respect the environment and will bring employment and social and economic benefits to our territory. Companies like TerraX are doing their part to make economic activity happen. We need these kinds of corporate citizens and this kind of development to create jobs and wealth in the territory, but their project is challenged by a lack of energy, infrastructure, and potential land-use issues. These are things the company can't fix. They need to rely on the government to help resolve these issues. To make this kind of growth happen, our government needs to do its part. We need to encourage this kind of development. We need to create the infrastructure that is needed and resolve issues around land-use and permitting. I will have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment at the appropriate time today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to present a motion: WHEREAS Section 48(1) of the Human Rights Act provides for the establishment of adjudication panel composed of at least three persons appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly; AND WHEREAS Section 48(4) of the Human Rights Act provides that members of the panel hold office during good behaviour for a term of four years with the exception of the first members appointed;

AND WHEREAS there are currently two vacancies of the adjudication panel; AND WHEREAS the board of management is tasked with recommending individuals to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation to the Commissioner; NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Mr. Adrian Wright of Salt Spring Island, BC, be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as a member of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel effective immediately for a term of four years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For my final question, and I thank the Minister for his reply, Northern students are supported by the government Student Financial Assistance program. I've mentioned Aurora College that provides an essential service. Other institutions such as Dechinta and College nordique, as the Minister also alluded to, are developing programs with other specialties. Can the Minister please describe how post-secondary institutions receive funding to provide their range of courses in the NWT?

The one accredited northern post-second institution, Aurora College, provides a variety of programs for Northerners. Understanding that some people may want to pursue a career outside the programs that Aurora College can offer, what are the choices for post-secondary in the NWT outside of Aurora College, if the Minister could elaborate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. As I mentioned in my statement earlier, access to post-secondary education is crucial for many people to move forward with careers of their choice. That's challenging in our territory, where many people come from small isolated communities. The success of individuals and families as well as the economic growth of our communities and territory rely on access to education. Can the Minister describe the options that are available to Northerners to gain a post-secondary education in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two visitors to our capital city as guests of a Yellowknife North constituent. I would like to welcome Elias Abboud, who is a former Yellowknifer and CBC North reporter who is now on-air as a news and current affairs reporter at CBC Montreal. I would also like to welcome Genevieve Royer. Genevieve is a television programming buyer for Quebec's public network, Tele-Quebec. She is visiting Yellowknife for the first time, so please join me in giving our guests a warm welcome to the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, my statement today is to emphasize the importance of post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories. Everyone is different and each one of us has different goals and ambitions in life. One of the benefits of living in this great territory, in this wonderful country, is that each of us has the right and the ability to choose our own path. As a result, our population is made up of trappers and carpenters, welders and lawyers, entrepreneurs and teachers, hunters and pilots. The wide variety of paths available to Northerners are all achieved in different ways, but all require a solid education. For some, their education happens in the bush; for others, it's in the cockpit of an aircraft; for many, required education happens in a classroom. One of the challenges for residents of the NWT, to choose whatever career path they want, is the availability of post-secondary education here at home in the North. Depending on the career they choose, young people may have to move away from home to get the education they need. Not only can that be expensive in spite of the NWT's generous Student Financial Assistance Program, but it's hard to have to move away from home and family to get an education. For that reason, I think it's important that our territory provides all possible support to post-secondary institutions that are emerging in the North. Not only will that allow Northerners to realize their individual dreams and goals, it also helps our territory to become a stronger well-rounded society, not only by providing a broad range of opportunities for Northerners but also by attracting academics, professionals, and students from around the world, people who want to learn about our part of the world, about northern peoples, cultures, languages, and ways of life. Currently, Aurora College provides an excellent service with the programming that it offers. Other academic institutions, like the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and the College nordique, are expanding into other fields and specialities. These and other institutions of post-secondary learning deserve our clear support and endorsement. Call it what you may, a university of the north or a territorial centre of excellence, the development of institutions of higher learning will provide opportunities for Northerners. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my Member’s statement. Thank you. ---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Beyond that, it will attract thinkers, authors, researchers, and specialists whose work will expand the northern body of knowledge, increase our capacity across the territory, and develop our abilities as a society. Later I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about our support for post-secondary education in the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I clearly agree with the previous speakers with regard to the concerns they are raising. Our territory is clearly young and it has a growing population. Many of our residents, as we know, live in isolated communities where economic opportunity is often hard to come by, and it’s our job as a government to remove as many obstacles to advancement as we can. Our government, as we know through the priority-setting process, is setting goals pertaining to education, pertaining to trades and apprenticeships, careers, business development -- all in the name of economic growth. If our territory is to achieve these goals, young families must have childcare that they can rely on. Universal childcare is a model that has been embraced by some of the most advanced societies, as we know, around the world. We should demonstrate that we have the will and the insight to follow that lead. Childcare must not only be reliable but, of course, affordable. It helps no one to have a childcare system that consumes the family budget. Without it, all manner of economic opportunity remains difficult and in some degree may even be unachievable. Lastly, the people who provide childcare must be able to make ends meet. If we are to trust them with the safety and care of our children, then in turn they must be able to be financially secure. I will be in support. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no further comments. I appreciate the comments from previous Members. I would like to move the motion.