Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of the Pages as well, Jaida Charlo, from my riding. I am happy to see her today. Mahsi cho.

Mr. Speaker, the 19^th Assembly's mandate items addresses this issue specifically, which states that one of the desired goals of this Assembly is to increase student education outcomes of the same level as the rest of Canada.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we have a long way to go in achieving educational parity on each of the fronts that I have just mentioned, but if we want the NWT to achieve true educational parity compared to Canada's national average, I believe it is imperative that our government redouble our efforts in the smaller communities because that is where the education outcomes need to improve the most. The smaller communities have been left behind for far too long. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to talk about education NWT. I just want to make a quick acknowledgement that it is good to see the kids come out, classroom. A big part of why I ran for office is our children, our next generation. It makes me very happy to see. I did a speech at one of our schools in my riding last week. My message was to stay in school and work hard, and I want to extend that message out to you, as well. One of the biggest things I said: you never know when in our classrooms. We can have our next Premier. We can have our next Prime Minister. We can have our next MLA, next Nobel Laureate, next Olympian. We are all pushing for you, and this is a big part of the job that we do here.

Going back to what I was saying, Mr. Speaker, there are a few specific areas in education, particularly in the smaller communities that I want to discuss. I have noticed that it is not an uncommon reality for schools in smaller communities to have classrooms of very poor student-to-teacher ratios. I have seen several instances where classes have one teacher, maybe one teacher's assistant, teaching upwards of three grades simultaneously in one class. This seems to be standard practice in many communities. Even so, I consider that to be problematic and in need of serious review.

Mr. Speaker, another area in education that needs improving is in regards to graduation rates. According to stats from the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the NWT for many years has consistently had a much lower graduation rate than the national average. For example, in 2016, the national high school graduation rate was 72 percent, whereas the NWT's average was 67 percent. Even lower than that was the territorial average graduation rate for Indigenous students, which was 61 percent.

Moreover, Mr. Speaker, again, in the 2016 Bureau of Statistics for data in my riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the average number of people who have a high school diploma or higher was only 47 percent compared to the NWT average of 72.6 percent. For me, this disparity is quite shocking and unacceptable. The Department of Education must begin work immediately to increase the gap in education between the smaller communities and the larger urban centres.

Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to continue my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi cho, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Appointments to the Standing Committee on Government Operations.

WHEREAS Rule 89(2) requires that Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations:

• Ms. Lesa Semmler, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes;
• Ms. Caitlin Cleveland, the Member for Kam Lake;
• Ms. Frieda Martselos, the Member for Thebacha;
• Ms. Julie Green, the Member for Yellowknife Centre; and
• Mr. Rylund Johnson, the Member for Yellowknife North.

AND FURTHER, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations as alternate members:

• Mr. Ronald Bonnetrouge, the Member for Deh Cho;
• Mr. Kevin O'Reilly, the Member for Frame Lake; and
• Mr. Jackie Jacobson, the Member for Nunakput.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Appointments to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment.

WHEREAS Rule 89(2) requires that Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment:

• Mr. Ronald Bonnetrouge, the Member for Deh Cho;
• Mr. Kevin O'Reilly, the Member for Frame Lake;
• Mr. Jackie Jacobson, the Member for Nunakput;
• Mrs. Frieda Martselos, the Member for Thebacha; and
• Mr. Rylund Johnson, the Member for Yellowknife North.

AND FURTHER, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment as alternate members:

• Mrs. Lesa Semmler, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes;
• Ms. Caitlin Cleveland, the Member for Kam Lake; and
• Mr. Steve Norn, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've got one more, here. I give notice that, on Thursday, December 12, 2019, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations:

• Mrs. Lesa Semmler, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes;
• Ms. Caitlin Cleveland, the Member for Kam Lake;
• Mrs. Frieda Martselos, the Member for Thebacha;
• Ms. Julie Green, the Member for Yellowknife Centre; and
• Mr. Rylund Johnson, the Member for Yellowknife North.

And further, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations as alternate Members:

• Mr. Ronald Bonnetrouge, the Member for Deh Cho;
• Mr. Kevin O'Reilly, the Member for Frame Lake; and
• Mr. Jackie Jacobson, the Member for Nunakput.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Mahsi cho.