Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last month the government announced a memorandum of understanding on aboriginal education with treaty chiefs and the federal government. Motion, however, should not be confused with progress. On aboriginal education this government is standing still and in some areas is actually going backwards. To the Minister of Education. The partnership memo­randum seems to be an agreement to come up with a strategy later, an IOU rather than an MOU. Will this MOU require the provincial government to actually come forward with any new resources to improve aboriginal learning outcomes?

Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, the memorandum of agreement that was signed a week ago last Wednesday together with the partnership agreement which we signed last fall are two very, very important steps forward. First of all, the partnership agreement that we signed last fall with the grand chiefs of treaties 6, 7, and 8 and the president of the Métis Settlements General Council and the president of the Métis Nation of Alberta set up a partnership with Advanced Education, Education, and Aboriginal Relations, working with those groups to really focus on how we can move aboriginal education, First Nations and Métis education, forward in this province. This new partnership, that includes the federal ministry: I'll be able to elaborate further, Mr. Speaker, on the good work.

Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's a tremendous difference between smoking a ceremonial pipe and blowing smoke. Provincial per-student funding for First Nations learners has been frozen at last year's level and only increased by $12 the year before that. How are school districts supposed to improve aboriginal learning outcomes when their ministry is standing still?

Mr. Hancock: Far from standing still, we've made the most progress in this area that has been made in ages. First of all, the progress really is the leadership of the communities themselves, the leadership together with the province and now the federal govern­ment signing on, making it the highest priority.

Mr. Speaker, I wouldn't be in that member's position of making light of very important ceremonies that people undertake in terms of the pipe ceremonies at the start. We take very, very seriously our partnership with treaties 6, 7, and 8, our partnership with the Métis Settlements General Council, and the work of all of us to make sure that, first, the achievement gap is eliminated between First Nations and Métis students and other students of Alberta.

Mr. Chase: Thank you. I certainly don't take First Nations' ceremonies for granted. I'm a big fan of the Black Elk sacred pipe, as one example.

High school completion rates for First Nations students are at 52 per cent compared to 79 per cent for all other students. But Budget 2010 eliminates grants intended to boost high school completion rates. Why is this minister backtracking on raising completion rates for aboriginal learners?

Mr. Hancock: Absolutely not backtracking on that. In fact, it's still one of the most important things we can do; that is, to ensure that each and every one of the students in this province regardless of their background, regardless of whether they live on a First Nation or in a city or a town or in a rural area – every single student matters. Every student, every day. No exceptions.