Tuesday, September 6 is back-to-school day in the province of Ontario. We have over two million elementary school students and secondary school students who are going back to school after two years of pandemic disruptions that they went through with their parents. Now is the time for us to get back to normal.

I want to thank the Minister of Education, on behalf of parents like me and parents across the province, for making it absolutely clear that we want our kids in school, in person, full-time, with sports and a full array of extracurricular activities. We want for our children the full school experience.

Let me take this opportunity now to wish all the students and staff members across the province of Ontario, and especially my folks in Essex county, a very successful academic school year.

Ontario has more than 370,000 unfilled jobs, and there’s a rising need to replace retiring skilled tradespeople. A report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum suggests that Ontario needs to recruit 300,000 new skilled trades apprentices over the next decade just to keep up with the retirements.

Training new skilled trades workers must be a priority, and it’s crucial for us to promote the skilled trades among young people.

What is the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development doing to help more young people start careers in the skilled trades?

My constituents in Essex are very happy that this government and this minister are providing free training for 500 people from under-represented groups in the trades, especially women. How is this investment going to remove barriers specifically for women, and also remove barriers for other under-represented groups in the skilled trades, and get people into those well-paying jobs and those rewarding careers in the skilled trades?