Mr. Speaker, February is Junior Achievement Month in Canada and I would like to congratulate the organization for the tremendous work it does on behalf of youth in Atlantic Canada.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has enjoyed a long and productive partnership with Junior Achievement. They both recognize the importance of exposing young people to entrepreneurship at a stage in their lives when they are making decisions about what to do and where to live.
In my riding, Junior Achievement provides programs to school children, and 20 teenagers from Bouctouche benefit from a company program offered at École Clément-Cormier.
The ACOA has undertaken a number of activities to raise young people's awareness of the benefits of entrepreneurship.
One of them, the Youth Ventures Program, resulted in 260 new summer businesses and 400 new jobs.
It is clear that the partnership between the ACOA and Junior Achievement has been very productive.