Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the second annual Power Up young women's conference that was held in Yellowknife on February 3rd, organized by Skills Canada NWT and Nunavut. The idea behind this fantastic event is to have Grade 8 girls from schools across the NWT and Nunavut meet female mentors that work in non-traditional trades and occupations. The girls get to network, talk to their mentors about their careers and take part in hands-on workshops. This year 235 girls from 17 communities in the North attended the conference. I also attended the conference, as a mentor, Mr. Speaker. This is the second year I have done this and I cannot stress enough how valuable an event like this is for our young women.
Not too long ago, many young women did not actually consider the option of a career as a pilot, a carpenter, an aircraft maintenance engineer or a firefighter. These were just not things that came to a girl's mind when she was contemplating career choices. Fortunately, times have changed and these young women's conferences are helping to change them. We know, Mr. Speaker, that there are all kinds of career possibilities out there for those young women, they just need to learn and become more aware of what those are. The event gives them a host of career choices they may have never considered and it allows them to meet and talk with the female mentors in these professions.
I should also note, Mr. Speaker, that on February 10th, a young men's conference was held for the first time. Mr. Speaker, I thought the event last year was fantastic, but the event this year had gone up a whole new level. Knowing the organizers, I know it will get even better next year and that is attributable to the small staff at the NWT/Nunavut Skills Canada office in Yellowknife. The hard work of executive director Allyson Stroeder and her able assistants, Barb Kardash and Erin Mohr. They are the ones who got the numerous sponsors on side, found the mentors and volunteers to help out, and dealt with the logistics of hosting over 200 young women for a one-day event in Yellowknife. These ladies deserve a big pat on the back for their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, I know we have a real skills shortage in our territory right now and our young women can be whatever they want to be. I applaud the young women's conference for doing so much to spread this message. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
