Debates of May 31, 2005 (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Schools throughout the NWT and Canada are forced to deal with restrictions and financial restraints. Many of the activities and events that students take part in today are due to the tireless efforts of individual staff members and parents advisory committees and volunteers, as well as many business organizations that all provide a role in providing opportunities for students and young people.

Today I’d like to recognize a special case, a good news story. Madam Speaker, this past March there was a science fair held here in Yellowknife and some 80 students from Grade 3 and up from Ecole Borealis in Hay River in conjunction with Ecole Alain St. Cyr here in Yellowknife, held a special science fair that was not scheduled on their typical school year calendar. This was done on short notice, quick planning, and it brought the science fair here to Yellowknife so the francophone students could have a little community project together.

This turned out to be an extremely positive experience, and the students afforded this opportunity had a chance to meet with their peers, visit special places like L’Aquilon, which is the French newspaper, visit Radio Taiga, which is the French radio station, an experience that the Hay River students don’t usually get. It was a wonderful opportunity that they could share this culturally beneficial and intellectual opportunity here in Yellowknife together. This event wasn’t planned, but I can tell you right now it’s being discussed for the future, because it was such an array of opportunities for the kids that they are not able to often experience.

Madam Speaker, the Legion played a role in hosting the science fair and I heard it was standing room only on many occasions to see some of the opportunities there that the young students were doing. I want to say a special thanks to those children who made the trek, as well as those who live here in Yellowknife, for dedicating a certain amount of enthusiasm to the innovation of science. A special congratulations to those scientific minds who will be going forward to represent the NWT in Vancouver for their skills in science.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, I want to say that some constituents came forward and mentioned that this was an enormous experience that the children had and it was a big deal to all the kids that attended. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause