Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Only a handful of communities in the Northwest Territories are small enough not to have a high school in their communities. Whatever the rationale this government gives, it’s still wrong that our students and families receive no support with student accommodations.
In the past, many MLAs from small communities have also tried to get this government to provide more support for high school students, with no success. We have provided suggestions, options such as high school grades in our small communities, with no success.
In years past, more and more students get lagged behind the territory and the rest of Canada. How are we supposed to truly build a regional and northern capacity or prepare our use in the increasingly competitive world when we cannot even provide them the basics of learning?
In order for our students to succeed, we need a safe and secure place to live, and a healthy environment when they leave home.
I stated previously that this government and district office must do more to assist the families to find appropriate homes and facilities so that their children can go to school and learn in a healthy environment. Many students live in boarding homes where there’s drinking, and drugs, and partying. That’s a shame. There is no place for a student that can learn and have safety on their mind at all times.
Now that the region has no government-assisted boarding homes, parents are literally left on their own to make due, and the kids are left to defend for themselves once they leave their home and return to school. This is unacceptable. We owe this to our students, to the future, and the priority of our students across the territory in the small communities, especially in Sachs Harbour where we’re having this issue dealt with for the past three years.
I will have questions at the appropriate time for the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
