Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories stands at the threshold of an unprecedented opportunity. The Mackenzie Valley Highway is 70 percent of the right-of-way within the Sahtu region and major mineral projects from Fireweed, Snowline Gold, and Rio Tinto are moving forward representing hundreds of millions in investment and thousands of job opportunities. But are we ready?

We face a critical shortage of skilled, certified tradespeople across the Northwest Territories. This is recognized in the Sahtu also. Without immediate action, we risk and denying current and future next generational opportunities. Mr. Speaker, we have talented, experienced tradespeople in our communities, people with years of field hours who know the land and the work, but many lack formal Red Seal certification. We need to capture and credential this knowledge.

Mr. Speaker, we must start investing in education seriously. Succession planning and strategic planning are paramount to achieving a next generational workforce. Part of this successional planning is recognizing the trades and accumulated field hours by our employees and residents. This recognition must be activated and data collected for incoming major projects. We must create clear apprenticeship pathways and training programs. We need partnerships between government, Aurora College, schools, tech schools, and industry. We need designated trainers in all regions.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in previous statements on training and workforce development. The Northwest Territories will see an economic tsunami, a high creation of employment opportunities that represents forecasted positive results and will lower our dependency on social programs. We cannot emphasize enough the immediate need for training and investing in education. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this moment will not wait. Major projects like the Mackenzie Valley Highway timeline and schedules are set. If we are not ready with a trained, certified northern workforce, these opportunities will pass us by. Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the Minister of ITIT. Mahsi.