b'relate to it and share it with their loved WERE PLANTING THE SEED OF A GIRL PERFORMINGones. Thats been the most fun partA TRADE, IN A FUN WAY, BUTEQUALLY IMPORTANTof this.The book is certainly meant to speakWERE ALSO NORMALIZING IT FOR BOYS THAT THEnot only to young women and girls but also to parents, showing them that there GIRLS ARE IN TRADES, BEFORE THEY REALIZE THATare roles for young girls that they might not have seen in the past. Thats where ITS AN ANOMALY. were looking forward to taking the SusieJUDY-LYNN MASON character, he adds. Its not just the trades; theres an abundance of roles in this industry. There is a wide-open world for this Susie character right now. I think make up 50 per cent of the population,potential candidates was Michael Roy.were standing at a unique inflection point so theres a 45-per-cent gap in our naturalWe interviewed him, and it was a slambecause we have a chance to redefine what resources. We need to tap into that, dunk, Mason says. He was immediatelyCanada looks like, and if were serious says Mason. on board, and he had 100 ideas. He wasabout it, we need more builders. We need so passionate about the agenda; I felt atmore Susies!She describes three levels at which thethe end that he was more excited than Industry Impactissue needs to be addressed. These includewe were. The potential impact of the Susie retainment, through supporting womencharacter is far-reaching. As the world who already work in the industry, andLaunching Susies Shed increasingly shifts onlineespecially recruitment, through engaging university-When Susies Shed launched, books beganwith the advent of generative AIyoung and college-age women who are makingflying off our shelves; weve started sellingpeople need to know that there are still career choices. internationally. Among the purchasershands-on professions that will endure into But then youve also got the nextare other associations, who can orderthe future, and Susie is one of the ways generation of childrenhow do we geta custom run with their logo on eachthey will find out about construction.to them before theyre even thinking ofbook. Now were providing graphics to their careers? says Mason, pointing outall the provincial associations and tradeThe association is taking a lot of pride in that even though she herself grew up in aschools so they can put a banner up atthis. Everybody in the office has a copy on family in the trades, I personally wouldtheir shows, adds Mason. Stickers andtheir desk. Its meaningful that we have never have thought of going into a trade.colouring books are all on the agenda. a mascot, so to speak, Lancastle says. There were no women in my family whoWith Judy-Lynn, you have somebodyTheres a lot of excitement in store for did that. Id never seen a female whos incredibly passionate about thisthe future of the character, and MCAC trade worker. project; she has really helped push thisstaffers are working hard on marketing from conception up to the finish line,plansstay tuned!Construction is a complex field wheresays Lancastle. The enthusiasm aroundA second book is now in the works. If all mistakes can have terrible consequences,the Susie character has been just awesomewe do is one per cent this year and one per so we need the best and the brightest,to see. Its been really fascinating to watchcent next year, were making change, says she says. One of the obstacles tothe momentum. People can pick it up andMason, and slowly, we will get there. recruitment is the conscious and unconscious bias of potential hires and their parents who either may not realize how rewarding a construction career can be or see it as a second-best career choice,POTABLE WATERespecially for a woman.How do you get to them before theyve got that preconceived notion? MasonVERSATILITYasks. Lets create a book that shows a female building something.From that concept, Susie was born. WereNo matter what you specify, Victaulicplanting the seed of a girl performing a trade, in a fun way, butequallygrooved solutions will work for you.importantwere also normalizing it for boys that the girls are in trades, before they realize that its an anomaly.STAINLESS STEEL Youve also got your traditional parentsCOPPERor grandparents; weve got multiple generations starting that conversationinCPVCmany cases a conversation thats never started before, she says.To produce the book, it was agreed that Ken Lancastle would be the writer, but an illustrator was also needed. Among the NATIONAL BULLETIN | Issue 1, 2025 29'