May 4, 2009
Government of Canada boosts Canadian
labour market by investing in apprenticeships, social housing
OTTAWA- Mr. Ed Komarnicki, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister
of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister
of Labour and Member of Parliament for Souris–MooseMountain,
today spoke to members of the Building and Construction Trades
Department about investments the Government of Canada is making
through its Economic Action Plan in social housing-related infrastructure
and apprenticeships.
“Our government is taking a multi-pronged approach to
address the current economic downturn,” said Mr. Komarnicki.
“These investments in housing and skills training will
provide jobs for construction workers and build a skilled workforce
to keep up with Canada’s evolving labour market.”
Canada’s Economic Action Plan demonstrates the Government’s
commitment to help Canadians overcome the current economic downturn.
Investments such as $8.3 billion in the Canada Skills and Transition
Strategy and more than $2 billion to build new and repair social
housing, as well as $2 billion in loans to municipalities for
housing-related infrastructure, are just three measures in Canada’s
Economic Action Plan that are designed to help the economy recover
and rebound stronger than ever.
The Government is also encouraging apprenticeship training as
part of its strategy to ensure that Canada has the highly skilled
and mobile workforce the country needs. Canada’s Economic
Action Plan introduced the new Apprenticeship Completion Grant
to complement the existing Apprenticeship Incentive Grant.
The Apprenticeship Completion Grant is a $2,000 taxable cash
grant that the Government will provide to registered apprentices
who complete their training and become certified journeypersons
in a designated Red Seal trade.
Combining the two grants, Red Seal apprentices will now be eligible
to get up to $4,000 over the period of their apprenticeship
training and certification in a designated Red Seal trade.
The Apprenticeship Completion Grant is part of the Skills and
Transition Strategy, which aims to increase the number of skilled
workers and prepare the country to meet the upcoming need for
skilled tradespeople.
The Government partners with the Building and Construction Trades
Department and the Construction Sector Council to resolve human
resources skills issues affecting the Canadian construction
industry. These partnerships are important to reshaping the
Canadian labour market and meeting the changing demands in today’s
global economy.
For more information, visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca.
