Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is Education Week and we all need to recognize the value of an education. Many people need to recognize the value of staying in school and attending classes every day that they can. Parents need to set an example by showing respect for teachers and getting as much education as they can themselves. For many people, education is an opportunity to rise above alcohol and drug abuse. Education is critical to both health and employment status.
We recently learned that the Northwest Territories are not meeting their northern employment quotas. Low levels of education are preventing unemployed residents from taking advantage of job openings. That is a sad reality, especially for the people in small communities who really need those jobs.
We must also recognize that for some of us, getting an education isn’t very easy at all. The days of abuse and loss of culture in residential schools are, thankfully, over. I for one am glad to see the tragic history of residential schools recognized in the NWT curriculum. Students in Fort Providence and the K’atlodeeche Reserve have benefited enormously from teachers who speak their language, like well-known elder Margaret Thom and also Dorothy Buckley of the K’atlodeeche Reserve. But First Nations and Metis students are still challenged to get a western education while maintaining their own language and culture.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister on the subject. Thank you. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
