Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk to talk about a great worldwide initiative entitled Girls Fly Too. The year 2012 was the first year to celebrate more than 100 years in aviation, and it was called Women of Aviation Worldwide Week. As part of that week, last year, under the leadership of Yellowknife helicopter pilot Kirsten Brazier, Yellowknife Airport earned the title of the Most Female Pilot-Friendly Airport Worldwide.

There were over 400 girls and women who participated in the event, and they weren’t just from Yellowknife. Families drove in from Tlicho communities, there was a group from Fort Smith, and there were a number of delighted visitors to the NWT who came with their Yellowknife families.

There were helicopters taking off with multi-generations of families on board. More importantly, there was interest and engagement in aviation from young girls and women and their families.

Kirsten Brazier has returned to YZF – the airport code for Yellowknife – to defend the title that we won last year. On March 9th, from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Yellowknife Airport, fun, interactive and educational activities are planned for everyone. There will be free flights for eligible girls and women of any age. Taxiway “Kilo” will once again be buzzing with girls and women, pilots and helicopters spending the day going up and down, up and down. There will be both civilian and military aircraft on display, attended by flight and maintenance crews, and participants will be able to interact with them and ask questions of them.

The site manager for the Yellowknife Airport, Tammy Wotherspoon, has offered to conduct tours of the NAVCanada facilities so people may better understand what happens behind the scenes in air traffic control and aviation weather services.

This is a true community event with many sponsors and volunteers. The Girls Fly Too event is about educating girls and women about the opportunities in aviation, but it’s also about inspiring and motivating them. To quote Ms. Brazier “Only about 4 percent of helicopter pilots with a commercial helicopter pilot licence are women. We are trying to change perceptions and let people know that, hey, women do do these jobs and that there are so many career options available.”

These career options range from an office job doing accounting, to helping prepare aircraft for flight, to piloting them. There are numerous opportunities for women in the aviation industry.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.