Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me say I certainly agree with the Member both in the area of mining and in oil and gas. We need to do more to interest young people in getting into these fields. When I say "we," I think the burden, the responsibility, is shared both by government and properly should be shared by industry, as well. We try to work closely with the industry associations, whether mining or oil and gas. We do have some community outreach in our department. We have a person who travels around talking to young people. We put on prospecting courses and we deliver those throughout the various regions, and we have had some northerners who have become success stories and young people who have been interested in prospecting. But when we go out for the work, at the advance stage of this exploration typically we're looking to universities to supply students for the fieldwork. So I think what we need to do...and let me say where we find northerners who are available, of course we jump at the chance to get them to come back home. I think we need to be able to do more pre-university in getting our young people interested in these very rewarding and often lucrative careers. So I take the Member's point. But I would say that I have been satisfied with some of our community outreach work. I know we have people in the department who are very interested in working with young people to try to infect them with an interest in this field, and I think they're doing a good job. Thank you.
Brendan Bell on Committee Motion 46-15(5): Future Socio-economic Agreements, Carried
In the Legislative Assembly on March 5th, 2007. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 46-15(5): Future Socio-economic Agreements, Carried
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
March 4th, 2007
Page 1186
See context to find out what was said next.