Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it is important to get some programs in place that we can pick up these students and get them ready for trades. Even though they cannot meet a full grade 12 equivalency that a trade may require, but it may only be needed in certain subjects to allow them into a certain trade.
I think there is room for improvement in the programs we have now to pick up these kids and get them through. It leads into the next area that I would like to address, but my colleague, Mr. McLeod, addressed it a bit. It is in the area of training. I think we are lacking an awful lot of training right now. If we are serious about and firmly believe that we are going to go ahead with the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and oil and gas exploration is going to take off, we are slow in the training. I think we have some very good examples to show us that once you wait for industry to be there, up and operating, and then you try and catch up to the industry with training, it is problematic.
I think it is very problematic in our diamond industry right now. We heard down in New York that some of these businesses are having a hard time trying to make a go of it because they do not have the trained people. They are trying to train them as they go along and it is problematic. They just cannot get caught up and put out enough product.
I think the same thing is going to happen in the oil and gas industry. If we wait until it is fully blown and going forward to try and start training people I think we are going to start to fall behind and it is going to be problematic for us.
If we are serious about big industry and oil and gas, I think we really have to put some training programs in place and try to get ahead of the game. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.