Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is well known that there is a shortage of skilled labour in the Northwest Territories and that it is getting worse. The number of apprentice program registrations and completions are down, and the number of licensed journeymen who are retiring is on the rise.
This shortage has negative effects across the board. Seniors can't get renovations done on their homes to help them age in place, because there aren't enough qualified people to do the work. The growth of small- and medium-sized businesses is being stifled because they don't have the capacity to take on new work. Our government can't deliver on half of the infrastructure projects that it promises to complete. An untold number of available jobs are going to fly in and fly out workers. The list goes on, Mr. Speaker, but I am sure that I don't have to convince anyone that this is a serious problem. As such, it requires the full attention of this Assembly and must be addressed by the whole of government.
It has been said in this House on many occasions that the best social program is a good job. I disagree, Mr. Speaker. The best social program is a good education, because it is the last social program that you will ever need. If you are a journeyman electrician, you are probably not going to be living in social housing or collecting income assistance. Investments in training boost the economy, increase government revenues, and lower future expenditures.
I will give credit where credit is due. In the past few years, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has worked hard to promote the trades, develop strategies, revamp programs, and made investments to help individuals, small businesses, and organizations offset costs of training. However, Mr. Speaker, it appears that we are missing the full support of the three GNWT departments responsible for capital projects: the Department of Infrastructure, the Department of Finance, and the NWT Housing Corporation.
While programs to help private businesses provide training are great, they are not enough. Small businesses often don't have the capacity to provide training, and increasingly, they often don't have enough work to take on trainees or apprentices. That is why the government has to step up its game. Every time the government plans to build a new facility, procure a new manufactured product, or enter into a new P3 partnership, the relevant departments need to figure out how to best utilize the project as an opportunity to provide training.
Mr. Speaker, an honest effort will require a change to the way that business is done, a change to how RFPs are designed and evaluated, and it will require the government to look beyond the bottom line and realize that an investment in training is one that we can't afford not to make. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.