Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, people are an invaluable resource in the North. We need to help people harness their skills, labour and productivity so that they are prepared to take full advantage of the economic opportunities before us. Maximizing Northern Employment is a key government priority that will help ensure that Northerners are positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, Maximizing Northern Employment is a government-wide, coordinated effort that is building partnerships with aboriginal governments and the private sector. It supports several of the key goals identified by the Legislative Assembly in the vision document Towards A Better Tomorrow. These include:

• • healthy, educated Northerners making responsible personal choices for themselves and their families;
• • a healthy, diversified economy providing employment opportunities for Northerners in all communities; and
• • an effective balance between development of our resources, socio-economic impacts and preservation and protection of our natural environment.

Today I would like to talk about nine initiatives under the Maximizing Northern Employment priority, representing an investment by this government of about $6.5 million.

These are practical initiatives dealing with real life problems, initiatives that will get Northerners working. Some of these initiatives are already in place. Others will be in place shortly.