You began by observing the need for training our young people to deal with that issue. The federal government has a very important role. As several of us mentioned, part of it is in better education and training funding for aboriginal students in this country. In the Prairies, they are the largest demographic.
English as a second language training: the federal government has been moving more toward a voucher system, which has privileged the private, for-profit trainers who often have less qualified teachers, a high turnover rate among their teachers, and uneven programs, at the expense of public colleges that have built up a wealth of experience and credibility and high-quality educators over a period of time. The federal government is investing public dollars, and we think one of the ways you can get more bang for your buck is to see that they go to public institutions.
You also made reference to apprenticeship. Measures have been taken to assist those in the Red Seal trades—the apprenticeship incentive grant that gives a $1,000 each year for the first two years, and a completion grant for when they complete their apprenticeship training. More needs to be done in that regard. There are a number of important trades in Canada that are not under the Red Seal that need to be recognized, whether it be X-ray technicians or whatever.
In addition to reaching beyond the non-Red Seal trades, I think the federal government also has to provide more of an inducement for employers to take on apprentices. As a country we've lagged in apprenticeship for as long as you and I have known each other. One of the reasons is that it was always cheaper for industry to bring in a skilled tradesperson as an immigrant than to train a young person. I think there have to be more incentives for business to take on apprentices so that we grow our own and provide opportunities to our young people to acquire these trades.