Members’ Statement: Big Investments in the Skilled Trades

Mr. Speaker, in my riding we used to have a high school called Western Secondary School. It was a skilled trades high school, the only one in my riding, and the Liberals shut it down.

By contrast, this PC government invests and believes in the skilled trades, and that’s why we have the Skills Development Fund, which we use to help purchase machines for high schools. Some of the high schools in my riding that have benefited from this fund are Belle River District High School, Sandwich Secondary School, Kingsville District High School and North Star High School. They have received CNC milling machines, plasma cutters, lathes, desktop milling machines, high-precision conventional milling machines, lathes with readouts and more.

I want to thank the Minister of Labour and Skills Development for these fantastic investments in our young people and skilled trades because as we say often, when you have a skilled trade, you have a job for life.