Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During AOC committee’s pre-budget consultation last year, an issue came up across the NWT and it was the need for more relevant programming in schools for our northern students. This includes northern aboriginal language, culture, land claim agreements, traditional skills and history of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this only makes sense that our youth be taught, in a coordinated way, our culture, history and current events of the North that they live in. Learning about southern Canada and other parts of the globe is very important too, Mr. Speaker, but it should not take such a priority over northern history that northern issues get left behind.

I have to wonder, Mr Speaker, if making the educational curriculum more relevant to the students' day-to-day experiences if they would get more involved, be more excited in attendance, and maybe that would be reflected in graduation rates.

For some students, Mr. Speaker, I can only assume an assignment in self-government or maybe even pipeline issues would be more exciting to them in the North than maybe the history of the war of 1812 or of the House of Tudor, not that they are any less important.

Mr. Speaker, in the past, this government has not shied away from making bold policy statements. The Education Act, for example, demanded inclusive schooling. That was a bold step that needs to be recognized, so we don’t need to stop there. We need to keep going with strong messages.

Mr. Speaker, maybe it’s time that this Legislature require that a minimum level of NWT culture, history, event programming is written into legislation. Whatever efforts this government can make to direct policies and overall education councils to scribe such a program would only be beneficial to all parents and constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I can say that some schools and school boards make every effort to embrace northern culture, and I have to point out that in my riding of Yellowknife Centre, Mildred Hall embraces it with every bit of recognition it deserves. It takes changes in laws to sometimes deliver these messages, Mr. Speaker, and I expect that we require and deserve to give it the respect it deserves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause