Debates of May 14, 2007 (day 6)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the next few weeks we’ll have high school students graduating from Grade 12. The past couple weeks we’ve had Aurora College convocations, and we’ve got some students graduating from southern institutions. First, I want to congratulate all these grads and wish them nothing but the best in their future goals.

We continue, Mr. Speaker, to have one of the best systems for post-secondary education in the country, but there still needs to be some work done on the Student Financial Assistance Program. Imagine how many more students, Mr. Speaker, we may be able to see complete their post-secondary education. We have to adjust the SFA to reflect the cost of living between the South and the Northwest Territories. One dollar, Mr. Speaker, in Edmonton will not be the same as $1 in Inuvik or Yellowknife or Fort Smith. It would be about a $1.80, almost two bucks up here. We have to adjust the SFA to reflect this.

I’ve always said, Mr. Speaker, and I believe, that the NWT has the best support system for our students looking to further their education and training. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has to have a serious look at the SFA rates and adjust them accordingly. This is a concern that I still hear from students attending college in Inuvik. We may have, we may continue, Mr. Speaker, to see more northern students graduating and, who knows, we may even have training positions for them within the GNWT. Then they can give their own people a hard time instead of someone that just moved north. Thank you.

---Applause