Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. It is about the issue of apprenticeships and especially, Mr. Speaker, women in apprenticeship roles. I discovered, prompted by a question at a constituency meeting, that there are 302 registered apprentices in the NWT apprenticeship program. I understand that this is a dramatic increase and one that puts us among the top in Canada on a per capita basis.

However, Mr. Speaker, of these 302 apprentices only ten are women. Women are an untapped and I believe a valuable part of our workforce in the North. What is the government doing to encourage and support women entering trades and apprenticeships? Thank you.