(From left) Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan; Batchewana First Nation Chief Dean Sayers; Jessica Boyer-Bennett, employment and training coordinator for Batchewana First Nation; Garden River First Nation Chief Paul Syrette; Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patti Hajdu; Prince Township Mayor Ken Lamming and City Councillor and Acting Mayor Sandra Hollingsworth.

Supplied by Sault MP Terry Sheehan…
November 15, 2017 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – This morning Terry Sheehan, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, hosted an informal meeting for youth, Indigenous leaders, Labour leaders and Municipal leaders to talk about employment opportunities and skills development with the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, the Honourable Patty Hajdu.
Meeting at the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA café, Skills Training program participants, local employers, Indigenous, Labour and community leaders were able to speak with Terry and Minister Hajdu about their experiences. This kind of open dialogue allows for real feedback from the people directly involved in programs and various industries. Removing barriers to training and employment opportunities is key to the success of our workforce in Canada.
“As MPs our work must be informed by performance measurement, evidence, and feedback from Canadians. By directing resources to programs that have the greatest, positive impact on the lives of Canadians and by consulting with my constituents, checking in on the results of our governments initiatives, I see the positive impact programs such as the Skills Training Program have in our community,” Sheehan said.

MP Sheehan and Minister Hajdu went on to attend and speak at the SSMART Innovation Awards which is “an event honouring companies and influential individuals for their innovative contributions to the science and technology sectors of the Algoma District, and for their use of science and technology in innovative ways, making a positive economic, cultural, or social impact on the community.”

Sheehan said, “Jobs and the economy are my number one concern here in the Sault. It’s pretty simple: give our youth opportunities, provide training, invest in our communities and I know we will see great achievements and success. The SSMART Awards are the result of hard working Canadians who, given an opportunity, make incredible contributions to our communities through their work.”