Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's commitment to develop this program. In reviewing the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Strategy, ATOC as he referred to it, there were a number of recommendations regarding that. Has the department taken action on the working group's suggestions, and will the Minister commit to implementing those suggestions coming out of the ATOC strategy?

Fifteen out of 320, I believe, is a statistic that shows that we're really not tapping into a huge section of our labour pool; that is, women who are willing to enter the trades. Is the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment willing to create a women in trades program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, I gave my Member's statement for women in trades. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: how many apprentices, in total, do we have in the Northwest Territories, and how many of them are women?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In honour of this Sunday being International Women's Day, and my constituency assistant Cat McGurk recently receiving her Red Seal in carpentry, I want to speak about women in trades. Canada is facing a spike in trade and technology positions, without the skilled labour to fill those positions. The NWT presently heavily relies on southern labour to supply our various trade needs. Our infrastructure projects, our mines, and our private sector are all put at risk because skilled labour has become such a precious commodity in the North. We need to build up our skilled labour here. I believe one of the solutions to doing that lies with the women of the NWT.

The numbers for women in construction trades in the NWT is less than 3 percent, Mr. Speaker. That's half our population who have never been encouraged to enter the trades. The reality is that most women still don't see the trades as an option for them. Despite changing attitudes, we still avoid teaching young girls physical capacity, and most guidance counsellors neglect to discuss shop classes with female high school students. Our small communities face many unique barriers to entering a fulfilling career in the trades.

I propose we take an active stake in supporting northern women and develop a women in trades program. Other such programs in Canada have been met with terrific success; programs like Women Unlimited, with their 93 percent completion rate. Trades Discovery for Women, Trade Herizons, and Women Building Futures have a 90-percent work placement rate: proof that these programs work, and not only can women do the work they set out to do, employers want to hire them.

Often, when the idea of female-focused pre-apprenticeship programs are brought up, it is deflected by the sentiment that we must encourage all people to consider careers in the trades, not just women. We must consider all people to enter the trades but, Mr. Speaker, this Assembly is a testament that gender-based programs work. When we championed campaign schools for women, it resulted in more women entering this Assembly and, if we champion women in trades, it will result in more tradespeople, something we are in desperate need of.

Just this week, we heard the Minister of ECE say that apprenticeship in the NWT is dropping. We know women in trades programs are effective, the majority of which are based on the east coast, where they boast the highest inclusion rate for women in trades.

Mr. Speaker, we need more tradespeople, period, and there is clear data that establishing a women in trades program does exactly that. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I look forward to however this works, the Speaker working with the Chief Electoral Officer and MACA to provide the appropriate standing committee an update on how that is working. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Over the years, I think, there has been some discussion with kind of expanding the role of the Chief Electoral Officer to also include municipal elections. I know there are a number of different ways that local authorities run their own elections. I think what we kind of see is that the Chief Electoral Officer gets really busy when there's an election, obviously, and when there is an Electoral Boundaries Commission. Then we see these fluctuations in the budget. I guess my question to the Speaker is: is there any desire or current conversations happening about expanding local authorities' elections under the parameters of the Chief Electoral Officer?

No further questions.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to confirm that that is as set out in the Legislative and Executive Council Act?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I see here that the Members' compensation and allowances has increased based on the consumer price index. Can I just get a sense of how that policy works, and is that happening year over year?