Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last month I’ve been to the Aurora College grad ceremony in Fort Smith and I’ve been to the one here in Yellowknife, and my hat’s off to the graduates, the instructors and to the Aurora College institution for graduating a fine round of people who are going to make a difference in their lives in the Northwest Territories.

As I sat there in the graduation, I was just imagining what it would be like to have a graduation at that type of magnitude in the Sahtu region for our own people. This is what I want to talk about.

The Sahtu needs a training centre now because of the excitement that I saw, feelings that I felt, and the words of the families and friends when they got up and received their diplomas.

Careers in trades offer a wealth of opportunities to people in these fields. As mineral and oil and gas development picks up across the North, the demand for skilled workers increases. Already there’s a shortage of skilled trades workers across Canada. Companies are competing to attract individuals with strong qualifications. Even within our own government we are, and still will be, in competition for these individuals.

In order for companies to reach the targets in socio-economic agreements, the Northwest Territories needs a healthy, educated and strong workforce which includes training in trades in our communities where people already make their lives and where the economics has huge potential for long-lasting and sustainable prosperity.

For example, training in workforce preparation was a major component of pipeline readiness when we talked about the Mackenzie Gas Project. It doesn’t look like the pipeline is happening in the near future, yet there are things that are there. Workforce training has a very high profile when you talk about the oil and gas readiness in the Sahtu. We want the same opportunities we see in mining activities in this area, no more and no less.

The Sahtu needs a training centre now because as oil and gas development starts to pick up, we need to be ready. For example, the school in Tulita offered a welding class this year. Students got to learn basic welding techniques and make simple projects. Courses like this could be offered in all the Sahtu schools in conjunction with a trade training centre. Students will be motivated when they have the opportunity to become qualified for trades at a local training centre.

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

---Unanimous consent granted