Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if…May I seek unanimous consent to extend item 5, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the honourable Minister of DPW with respect to the apprenticeship programs within the government department, particularly Public Works and Services. We do have tradespeople and journeymen people there. At one time, we did have an Apprenticeship Program where all our staff members would have apprentices. Is that program still in existence for our government, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe this will be back to the Minister of Finance, it's just with the territorial power subsidy. Maybe just for clarification, does that include the commercial power rates in the Territorial Power Subsidy Program? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke about a new North, a prosperous North, a united North; a North that would be leading not only Canada, but also the world in many areas. Well, Mr. Speaker, this cannot be accomplished if we do not have the adequate skilled workforce and journeyman tradespeople.

In my recent tour of the constituency I was made aware that we do not have an adequate succession plan to replace our skilled workforce and tradespeople. Once our government was a model of training by providing each journeyman tradesman with an apprentice. For the last 12 years, Mr. Speaker, some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess one of the other ways that I have been trying to address this issue is the one-rate power zone and it's typically done through the general rate application. I don't know if the Minister of Finance has the information before him, but is there a general rate application going into the PUB shortly or this fall? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to make note that out of the 300 apprentices registered in the North each year, I don’t believe very many of them work for the government and I think our government should take the initiative and make spaces and time available to continue to train apprentices. Will the Minister commit to that, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if…May I seek unanimous consent to extend item 5, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the honourable Minister of DPW with respect to the apprenticeship programs within the government department, particularly Public Works and Services. We do have tradespeople and journeymen people there. At one time, we did have an Apprenticeship Program where all our staff members would have apprentices. Is that program still in existence for our government, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with ways of reducing heat and power rates in the communities, again I'm not too sure if I'm asking the right Minister here, but converting the heat from power plants is a possibility but they're saying the cost is borne on the communities. So is there assistance that our government can help the communities convert the energy that's lost in the power plants? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke about a new North, a prosperous North, a united North; a North that would be leading not only Canada, but also the world in many areas. Well, Mr. Speaker, this cannot be accomplished if we do not have the adequate skilled workforce and journeyman tradespeople.

In my recent tour of the constituency I was made aware that we do not have an adequate succession plan to replace our skilled workforce and tradespeople. Once our government was a model of training by providing each journeyman tradesman with an apprentice. For the last 12 years, Mr. Speaker, some...