Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, shared the Harper Government’s plans to deal with the looming skills shortage

June 3, 2015            Ottawa, Ontario              Employment and Social Development Canada
The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, shared the Harper Government’s plans to deal with the looming skills shortage with the construction industry today at BuildForce Canada’s first National Construction and Maintenance Industry Strategy Summit.

Minister Poilievre discussed the Harper Government’s commitment to ensuring support for apprenticeships and the skilled trades. He also drew attention to Economic Action Plan 2015, which includes measures such as federal support for apprenticeship harmonization, expansion of the Canada Student Grants for short duration programs like skilled trades and the promotion of Blue Seal certification to encourage more skilled tradespeople to start or expand their own businesses. The Minister also outlined measures that benefit both employers and workers, noting in particular the success of the Canada Job Grant.

Minister Poilievre also took the opportunity to highlight how strong families and good jobs go hand in hand, sharing important information about the Harper Government’s Family Tax Cuts and Benefits. In its continued efforts to help hard-working families, the Government is enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
 Quick Facts 

• BuildForce Canada has identified Canada will need up to 322,000 workers in the construction trades over the next 10 years.

• Economic Action Plan 2014 created the Canada Apprentice Loan to provide apprentices registered in a Red Seal trade program with access to interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training. The loans are interest-free until apprentices complete or leave their apprenticeship training program, up to a maximum of six years. It is estimated that at least 26,000 will benefit from these loans each year. Since its launch in January 2015, more than 7,000 apprentices across Canada have already received their loan

• Since 2007, the Government has provided over 530,000 apprenticeship grants to Canadians across the country, including 7,200 in the National Capital Region. Approximately 75,000 grants are provided each year.

• The Canada Job Grant will provide up to $15,000 per person for the direct costs of training, such as tuition and training materials, which includes up to $10,000 in government contributions. In Ontario alone, 15,600 workers are receiving training through the Canada Job Grant. Approximately 2,200 employers have been approved for funding under the Canada Job Grant.

• The Universal Child Care Benefit would increase to $1,920 per year for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a new benefit of up to $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. 

Quotes
“With measures such as apprenticeship grants, the Canada Apprentice Loan, tax credits, investments in training and the Canada Job Grant, our Government is focused on working in partnership and ensuring that workers have the skills they need and employers have access to a highly skilled workforce today and in the future. At the same time, we are putting more money back into the pockets of families because we know that strong families and good jobs go hand in hand.”
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development
 “Our aging construction workforce is a national challenge that requires a national solution and strategy. Through the funding and support provided by the Government of Canada, our labour market information has enabled the industry to understand the implications of this and other workforce challenges. It’s only by working collaboratively that we can succeed in addressing it.”
– Rosemary Sparks, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada