Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today students from across the Northwest Territories in grades 9 to 12 as well as post-secondary apprentices will be travelling to Toronto to compete in the Skills Canada National Competition from June 4th to the 7th where they will showcase their skills and challenge themselves and others to new heights of success.
Skills Canada NWT is a non-profit dedicated to promoting careers in skilled trades and technology to northern youth since 1999. This is done by organizing programs and events each year for youth and supporting schools for school programs throughout the NWT such as regional and territorial skills competitions. All participants who are travelling to the nationals have to in fact win a gold medal in their respective trade at both the regional and territorial level.
This program has many benefits, such benefits as more skilled northern workers, reducing the number of unemployed people throughout the Northwest Territories as well as instilling confidence in our youth, resulting in youth making more positive choices and better life decisions. There are also benefits of fewer crimes and misdemeanors because these youth are doing what they love, they’re doing what they like and something that they enjoy and are good at. More importantly, these youth become role models for their peers and they also become role models for the next generation.
I know that this government does a great deal in supporting this program and the GNWT does give a very healthy contribution to this program, but I think this government can do a little bit more in the sense of just taking it to the next step. Look outside the box, think outside the box and look at how we can start supporting all these gold medal winners in the Northwest Territories that are going to nationals, looking at what their skills and trades are, investing in them, supporting them so that they can become our future workforce in the NWT. That way we don’t have to rely on bringing southern workers up into the NWT as well as we might be able to meet our socio-economic agreements of a northern workforce and also assist our NWT industries to find well-trained, well-prepared young people who can help business grow and help our economy grow.
At this time I would just like to thank all those who are participating and thank all those who are supporting the NWT skills trade participants and Team NWT going to the nationals. I wish them the best of luck, and hopefully you can bring a couple of gold medals back from the nationals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
