Speaking Notes for
the Honourable Diane Finley,
Minister of
Human Resources and Skills Development
at the
Champions Breakfast
for the WorldSkills Competition
Ottawa, ON
June 29, 2011
Check against delivery
Good morning. Bonjour tout le monde.
I’m so glad I could be here to give Team Canada a pep talk before you fly off to London.
Actually, I don’t think you need a pep talk, because I feel a lot of energy in this room already.
I can sense that you are really focused and ready for the competition ahead of you, so I’m going to be brief.
In my opinion, to succeed at anything you have to do three things.
First, you have to show up.
Second, you have to pay close attention
And third, you have to keep on trying.
Let me talk about showing up. It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people miss out on the great opportunities of life because they didn’t get around to making a phone call or going to an interview.
Our government believes in creating opportunities for people of all ages, but especially for young people.
We have many programs to help you get an education, to help you train for a career and to help you get into the job market.
But young people have to decide for themselves to find out about those opportunities and take advantage of them.
So I urge you to get on the Internet or go to Service Canada and find out what is available to you.
Skills Canada has certainly created a lot of opportunities for young people.
As you know, they promote careers in the skilled trades and they coordinate skills competitions every year.
And of course you are aware that they also select and prepare competitors for the WorldSkills competition that takes place every two years.
The Government of Canada is a strong supporter of Skills Canada.
Let me now expand a little on the second secret of success: paying close attention.
The members of Team Canada know what that means.
You wouldn’t be here unless you had really paid attention and thoroughly mastered your skill.
On that topic, I would like to remind you all about our Government’s apprenticeship grants for people training toward certification in a Red Seal trade.
If you are eligible for both the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant, you can get up to $4,000.
The Apprenticeship grant program is just one element in our overall strategy to create the most skilled workforce in the world.
We have a lot of talent in this country and skills competitions are a wonderful way of demonstrating that talent.
I would like to wish everyone from Team Canada all the best at the WorldSkills competition in London.
As Canadian champions you are inspirations to other young people to explore careers in the trades and technology sectors.
Our government is dedicated to improving opportunities for Canadians through skills development and that is why we are very proud to support Team Canada.
And finally, let me return to the third rule of success. Keep on trying. Never, never, never give up.
You got to be the national champions in your skill category because you tried harder than anybody else.
Because you gave it everything you had.
And I know you’ll do the same in London.
So, on behalf of the Government of Canada, have a great WorldSkills Competition,
Thank you and bon voyage!
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