Minister Kenney Talks Skills Agenda at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Annual General Meeting

News Release

September 28, 2014 – Charlottetown, P.E.I. – Employment and Social Development Canada

The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development, delivered a keynote speech at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Annual General Meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Minister Kenney spoke with Chamber members at their kickoff breakfast and highlighted the Government of Canada’s Skills Agenda, including reforming our post-secondary education system, supporting apprenticeship training, and fostering more employer involvement and investment in training. The speech highlighted two key elements of the Government of Canada’s efforts to support Canadians in the skilled trades: the Canada Job Grant, for which applications are now being accepted in seven provinces and territories—including P.E.I.—and the Canada Apprentice Loan.

The Government of Canada is also supporting the skilled trades with the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, the Apprenticeship Completion Grant, the Tradesperson’s Tools Deduction Tax Credit to help apprentices and tradespersons pay for tools, and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit to encourage employers to hire apprentices.

Minister Kenney also spoke about the Government of Canada’s recent reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which will ensure that Canadians have first crack at available jobs.

Quick Facts

There are tremendous opportunities in the skilled trades in the years ahead:
-The construction sector says they will need 300,000 new workers over the next 10 years.
-The mining sector says they will need 145,000 new workers over the next 10 years.
-The petroleum sector says they will need 150,000 new workers by 2022.
-The supply chain sector says they will need 357,000 new workers by 2020.
The Canada Job Grant will help ensure that Canada has the skilled workforce it needs to help bridge the gap between the skills Canadians have and the skills employers are looking for. The Government has finalized agreements with all provinces and territories, and the first seven provinces—including P.E.I.—are now accepting applications from employers with a plan to train people for a job.
In Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government announced the introduction of the Canada Apprentice Loan, which will be available in January 2015, to provide apprentices in Red Seal trades with access to interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training. It is estimated that at least 26,000 apprentices a year will apply for these loans.

Quote

“Our Government is focused on creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. Our Government’s Skills Agenda is our plan to ensure that Canadians have the skills that are in demand in today’s economy. By ensuring that Canadians have the skills employers are looking for, we can fix this paradox of too many Canadians without jobs in an economy of too many jobs without Canadians.”
- The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development