Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the activity description for 9-11 on 9-10, one of the sentences intrigues me:
"In response to the demand for skilled trades people, apprenticeship and occupational certification will expand trades-related programs offered through junior and senior secondary schools, Aurora College and industry associations."
I certainly supported the move to expand the Schools North Apprenticeship Program and to bring trades training to younger people, get them started in trades earlier. I think this is an area in the North where we have tremendous potential for jobs and really rewarding careers. I think this is a fairly important initiative.
I would just like to get some indication from the Minister what they mean by expand trades-related programs. How much expansion are we going to see? Specifically, how many students in this current year do we have enrolled in programs like SNAP? How many do we expect to have in the next year? How many people do we have in junior schools now involved in trades programs and how many do we expect to have in this budget year? How many people are involved in the regular trades program this year and how many do we expect next year? What are the strategies we are going to use to get more people into the trades?