Thank you to the great member for Thornhill for that really important question. Our economic competitiveness does depend on our ability to address the over 100,000 jobs going unfilled in construction alone.

We also know that we’re facing a silver tsunami. What does that mean? One in three journeypersons are over the age of 55, and we’ve got to do more to attract new workers into the skilled trades.

It’s not only a labour shortage issue, but it also affects our productivity as a province—something we have to work to address, because when we improve our productivity, we improve our competitiveness as a province.

So what are we doing? We’ve launched a $1.5-billion skilled trades strategy. Through our skills development training stream alone, we’ve trained over 500,000 workers into a better job with a bigger paycheque. We’ve taken steps to get properly fitted PPE for women in the trades, leading to one of the highest registration years in Ontario’s history for women into the skilled trades; and tackling barriers for marginalized and racialized Ontarians. We’ve also launched foreign credential recognition, streamlined pathways, and so much more I can’t even fit it into the answer.

Speaker, I’m proud to rise to talk about a fund—a fund that, sadly, the opposition voted against: the Skills Development Fund. It’s over a billion dollars, and it has helped train half a million Ontarians.

Let me tell you two quick stories—one, Shanika. I met her at the newcomers’ centre in downtown Toronto. She talked about purpose-driven careers, thanks to work this government is doing supporting Sara Asalya and the team there with the Skills Development Fund investment. Thanks to that, she has gotten out of dead-end jobs; she has now got purpose in her life, because we’re lifting her up—something the opposition would never do.

Another story: Phil Fournier, Ironworkers 759—again, working dead-end cash jobs, not paying taxes; now a contributing member of the north. He’s inspiring. He’s training the next generation of ironworkers. He has joined the union up there, again, thanks to the Skills Development Fund.

This government is going to continue investing in the skilled trades because we’re actually building things. After decades of neglect, we’re getting it done for highways, roads, bridges—you name it. We’re getting it done and training—

Today, I was at Centennial College for the Jill of all Trades event with the Premier and a number of my colleagues. A trades teacher approached me and said, “Do you know what, David? I’m really motivated to train the next generation.” Do you know why? Because he was symbolic of the challenge we’re facing. One in three tradesmen and tradeswomen are 55 or older. To build the hospitals, the schools, the highways we so desperately need, it’s going to require men and women in the trades.

We were empowered with that room full of inspiring young women—women like Carmen, who works for the TTC. Carmen was told by a big, burly guy, “You’re too small to work as a mechanic.” Well, guess what? She is one today. She’s kicking ass. And guess what that guy said to her? He now asked her, “How do I get into the trades?”

Well, thanks to our government, we’re breaking down barriers, getting more youth into the trades so we can build—

Speaker, there you have it. For the first time since I was elected in 2018, I heard it. The NDP finally recognize what we’ve known since 2018: We need men and women in the skilled trades in Ontario. I thank that member for the question and I will be happy to connect with that member off-line on specific challenges.

But I’m happy to say that skilled trades registration has been up 30% this year over last. Our Skills Development Fund, under the leadership of this Premier, is getting men and women into the trades like Phil, who I met up in Thunder Bay. It’s changed his life. And we’re not just doing it at union halls, we’re doing it through the youth apprenticeship training. Skilled trades for men and women in OYAP programs and skilled tradespeople of tomorrow is up. Indigenous youth is up, but it’s up against a sobering stat. The NDP and the opposition did nothing for youth through OYAP. The fund didn’t even exist—

But, Speaker, those young people who want a better future in the skilled trades know that this government will keep making those investments, supporting men and women in the trades, whether it be in a union hall, whether it be in a college, or whether it be in one of the new training centres we’re building thanks to this Premier. We’ve got their backs, Speaker. That member is all talk and no action.

Interjections.

Thank you very much to that member for that important question. We’re taking the challenge of unlocking the lost potential under the previous Liberal-NDP coalition of actually getting people into the trades, supporting—

Interjections.

Getting people into the skilled trades, the 300,000 jobs that go unfilled every year—that’s why we created Skilled Trades Ontario, a new crown agency which has a mandate to streamline registration and certification in Ontario’s 144 skilled trades, breaking down the stigma and getting more people in. That’s just one of the many changes we’ve taken on as a government.

The stats speak for themselves: We’ve seen a 25% increase in apprenticeship registration this year over last and a 30% increase in women in the skilled trades—and wait till we get into the specifics in the supplementary, Speaker.

It’s working to build a stronger Ontario. We need the men and women in the trades to get the job done, and we’re doing just that.

We’re also investing $224 million to help through the Skills Development Fund Capital Stream. That’s helping build training centres for apprentices and tradespeople through that fund. This is just one part of our $1.5-billion commitment to the skilled trades to addressing the backlog, the neglect from the previous Liberal government, so that people can find a job in the skilled trades. Because we know that when you have a job in the trades, you’ve got a career for life.

I want to start by thanking the Premier for this important role and thanking all the many men and women in the skilled trades I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with over the last 48 hours. I’m really looking forward to working with you.

Speaker, if we’re going to be honest with ourselves and we’re going to build the hospitals we need, build the schools we need, build the highways, the roads and the bridges that this Premier, this government have committed to doing to support a stronger Ontario, we need the men and women who are going to build them. We need them—men and women like my grandfather, who came off the boats from Italy and found a very rewarding career in the trades. But for too many, that’s out of reach. The opportunity for home ownership and everything he did to provide for my family is out of reach. But under this Premier’s watch, it’s changing.

I want to draw attention to an important fact: Since the moves this government has made to support the skilled trades, we’ve seen an increase in apprenticeship registrations in the last year of over 24%. Bottom line: It’s working.

I’d like to acknowledge the work of the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity—the work that she has been doing to ensure that we have greater representation of women in the trades—and again, it is working. Under the leadership of this Premier, we have seen an increase in the number of female apprenticeship registrations, up by over 30% from last year. I hope, in the spirit of non-partisanship, that’s something that everybody in this House can say is a good thing.