Mr. Speaker, this year, Health and Social Services tabled the Home and Community Care report, which gave an earnest view of how ready we are to care for our aging population. As we live through a global pandemic with an aging population, an economy of care is most definitely a viable and valuable investment sector. Currently, there are over 6,000 seniors and elders over the age of 60 in the NWT, of which over 1,000 are over 75. Within 15 years, seniors and elders over 60 are projected to increase to over 9,700 and the demand for Home and Community Care services in the NWT is projected to increase by 80 percent.

Staffing is one of the greatest challenges as all NWT communities reported difficulty recruiting and retaining staff to care for their community's knowledge-keepers. Who better to provide love, care, and support than someone who was raised in the community and has a personal connection and vested interest in the success of the patient? Healthcare professionals are wanted worldwide, and like everywhere else, we too have an aging population. However, we also have communities full of people who love home, their families, and want quality employment opportunities in their home communities. Aging in place with dignity isn't only a goal for our elders. It is also one for our youth, who consciously choose the North as their home, so why not combine these goals?

Mr. Speaker, there are many reasons why students leave school, but more often than not, I hear that it is because they do not find value or purpose in staying. ECE's career and education advisors are helping northern students find that value and to establish a path, but we need to make sure that these paths are available. High school graduation isn't just about a piece of paper. It is about being prepared for your next step, whatever that step may be. Over the next decade, 33 percent of upcoming NWT job vacancies will require a college diploma, skilled trade, or occupational certification level of education. ECE's SNAP program supports high school students to earn credit and pursue a career in trades, so why can't we also start preparing students for our economy of care within these same high schools, placing equal emphasis on the care economy as we do, for example, on the plumbing economy? I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.