I want to thank the member for his question.

I rise in this place often to talk about the modernization of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and the help it has given to businesses and leveraging. It’s time we started to chat about the incredible opportunities it provides for job creation and job protection, and how internship programs support that.

When we modernized the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, we committed to trying to understand better how our youth and young people could access jobs in their own communities—in Timiskaming–Cochrane, to the tune of almost a million dollars, a medical recruiter to plan and implement a physician recruitment strategy, saving them money, allowing them to go out with somebody and recruit physicians; an economic development assistant; the Northwood Recovery clinic’s registered practical nurse intern; and the Northern Policy Institute, to hire a data and analytics intern.

Mr. Speaker, more than 80% of these people retain their jobs when they’re in internship. I’m sure the member opposite supports this kind of—

Let’s move a little farther northwest, Mr. Speaker, where we’re into Kiiwetinoong and Mushkegowuk–James Bay. More than $500,000 helped us create 14 jobs and/or intern positions.

And listen to the diversity of these opportunities for young people: The municipality of Red Lake hired an infrastructure intern and recreation and activities programmer—we have a similar one in Vermilion Bay, and it works great—the Institut de recherche InnovaNor to hire a psychometrics and administrative assistant; Smooth Rock Falls Hospital in Cochrane district hired a detox centre program worker.

Mr. Speaker, those are just a few examples. What’s really exciting is the Indigenous Internship Program. The Obishikokaang Resources Corp. hired an Indigenous business service coordinator intern.

These folks are keeping their jobs when they’re finished their internship, staying in their communities, and providing a better opportunity for their community.