THETFORD MINES, QUEBEC, February 22, 2008 - The Honourable Christian Paradis, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L'Érable, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and Mr. Laurent Lessard, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Minister responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches region and Member of the National Assembly for Frontenac, on behalf of Mr. Sam Hamad, Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity, have the pleasure of announcing a new Targeted Initiative for Older Workers project in the Amiante region.
The governments of Canada and Quebec are jointly injecting $684,050 into the regional county municipality of Amiante to help older workers who have been laid off re-enter the labour market. According to Emploi-Québec, which is responsible for managing the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, this amount is expected to help 50 older workers find jobs over the next few months.
"The Government of Canada is committed to creating the best-educated, most-skilled and most flexible work force in the world, and that work force includes older workers. We cannot, and must not, overlook the experience of these workers. With active support, they will continue to make an important contribution to their communities, and to the Canadian economy," said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L'Érable.
"The last few months have been difficult for a significant number of experienced workers in the furniture sector who were laid off. It is of the utmost importance to redirect this skilled work force into more promising sectors. That is what will be achieved by the project announced today under the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers," said Minister Laurent Lessard.
Impact Travail, the project sponsor, will provide personalized, adapted support to older workers who have been laid off by assessing their skills to determine how transferable they are to another sector, teaching job search strategies, providing assisted placement or peer mentoring, and, as necessary, providing financial assistance, so as to help the older workers find new employment. These services will be offered in cooperation with the Thetford Mines local employment centre.
"There is no doubt that this project should help experienced workers significantly. That is why the Quebec and Canadian governments are pleased to be able to offer these workers customized support that will optimize their chances of reintegrating into the labour market as soon as possible," said Minister Lessard.
The Canada-Quebec Agreement that made the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers possible was signed in the fall of 2006. The project announced today comes under that agreement, which totals $27 million and will expire on March 31, 2009. Seventy per cent of this total funding is provided by the federal government, and thirty per cent by the Government of Quebec.
- 30 -
Sources
Alexandre Boucher
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity
418-643-4810
Pema Lhalungpa
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development
819-994-2482
Yvon Nadeau
Political Advisor
Chaudière-Appalaches
Office of Laurent Lessard
418-332-3444
Information
Guillaume Paradis
Communications Officer
Emploi-Québec - Chaudière-Appalaches
418-838-2605, extension 262
