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September 26, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05-61
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today announced that the Government of Canada will provide more than $2 million through the Sector Council Program to create four new sector councils for the food, policing, volunteer/non-profit and printing sectors.
"I'm very pleased to announce the expansion of the sector council network. Investing in the skills of Canadians is key to our continued success in the global economy," said Minister Stronach. "Sector councils have been instrumental in addressing skills issues by ensuring that workers already employed and those seeking employment are well prepared for the challenges of the rapidly evolving labour market."
The funding announced today will support and facilitate the development of the Police Sector Council, the Canadian Food Industry Council, the Canadian Printing Industries Association and the HR Council for the Voluntary/Non-profit Sector (a council established by the Community Foundations of Canada). Each new council will address human resources issues in its sector.
Today's announcement is linked to Canada's Workplace Skills Strategy, aimed at helping Canadians to become the best-trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, as well as ensuring that employers' needs are met. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada's future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled workforce and on high-performance workplaces that focus on skills development.
"While there are some HR issues common to all sectors of the economy, each of the new sector councils announced here today has its own unique sets of challenges," said Lynne Toupin, Executive Director, HR Council for the Voluntary/Non-profit Sector. "The Sector Council Program makes it possible for each of us to be responsive to particular needs and to tailor our approaches to reflect the context in which our employees work. We are all acutely aware of the value of continuing to develop our human capital, whether it be to better compete in the global marketplace or to better serve citizens in our communities."
Sector councils successfully meet emerging skills requirements, addressing skills and labour shortages, and building essential skills in the workplace as a foundation for continuous learning. These organizations bring together business, labour and educational stakeholders in key industries to identify and address common human resources and skills issues, and to find solutions that benefit the sector.
There are currently 30 sector councils representing traditional industries (e.g., mining and textiles) and emerging industries (e.g., biotechnology and environment). The sector council network now covers approximately 47 percent of the labour market. The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening and expanding the network of sector councils so that more Canadian workers benefit from them.
Funding for these projects was provided for in the 2005 federal Budget.
The projects have been reviewed to ensure compliance with the Department's administration of its grant and contribution programs, and are subject to review under the Financial Administration Act.
For details, see the attached backgrounder.
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For more information (media only):
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
(819) 994-5559
BACKGROUNDER
Sector Council
Description of Project
Funding
Canadian Food Industry Council
Sector Council Infrastructure Development - Through this project, a sector council for the food industry will be established to benefit the industry's approximately 396,361 workers.
$712,605
Police Sector Council
Sector Study Update - This project involves the development of a study that will provide a comprehensive image of the labour market in the policing sector. The study will also serve as a basis for developing the sector council strategy to address identified human resources issues for the sector.
$150,000
Police Sector Council
Policing Sector Council Development - A sector council for the public policing sector will be established to benefit Canada's public police work force (approximately 76,000 workers).
$467,815
Canadian Printing Industries Association
Establishment of a Sector Council for the Canadian Printing Industry - This project will result in the establishment and initial operation of a new sector council for the Canadian printing industry, with the primary focus on developing tools for the betterment of the workforce.
$373,652
Community Foundations of Canada
New Sector Council Development - A sector council will be established to benefit Canada's approximately 900,000 voluntary/non-profit workers.
$692,156
Total
$2,022,576
