Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it will be another opportunity for me to talk about summer student positions here. Mr. Speaker, summer student positions are a great way to get the youth to come back to their communities during their time off from school. This program will also reveal to the students how important education is, especially for securing jobs and potentially a career.
The students employed by the Student Employment Program are already beginning to benefit from their education by way of obtaining a summer position, which is very encouraging. In addition to promoting education, the summer student employment program offers students direct work experience.
Studying in a specific area of interest and later applying the knowledge attained is a challenge that the students face. This program offers students a chance to directly apply skills and knowledge and to learn them in post-secondary, allowing students to be more prepared once they graduate. The total number of students hired for the summer of 2017 was 349 positions. Out of the total, 202 students, or 58 per cent, were Indigenous Aboriginal students. Both these numbers have increased since 2016, and I applaud the government for this. The number of total hires in the summer of 2017 increased from the previous years from 306 to 349, resulting in 43 more hires. For Indigenous Aboriginal hires, 2017 showed an increase from 177 to 202 hires, resulting in 25 more hires. This year, there were 16 students hired in Fort Simpson; nice to see. Unfortunately, no students were employed from the smaller communities of Fort Liard, Nahanni Butte, Jean Marie, Sambaa K'e, or Wrigley. This is a result of either a lack of opportunity or a lack of student applications.
In Fort Simpson, summer students were employed by a number of departments, including the ENR, Lands, MACA, NWT Housing Corporation, and human resources in the health department. I understand there are no regional offices for said departments in smaller communities, but maybe other employment opportunities for students in smaller communities should be explored. Year after year, I see an increase in summer students hired, but not in the smaller communities in my riding. It pains me that they are left behind. Mr. Speaker, the Summer Student Program provides an invaluable experience for our youth. I hope we will continue to see the success and expansion of this program and the positive impact it has on our youth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.