Minister O'Regan Highlights Investments in Skills for a Net-Zero Economy Français

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Employment and Social Development Canada

Nov 09, 2022, 16:43 ET

ST. JOHN'S, NL, Nov. 9, 2022 /CNW/ - Minister of Labour Seamus O'Regan met with Trades NL and the Ironworkers to highlight investments in the skills and education workers need for the jobs they want.

We're experiencing the largest transformation since the Industrial Revolution: the energy transition. As announced in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada is investing $250 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to create a new sustainability stream in the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), launch the Sustainable Jobs Training Centre, build and the Sustainable Jobs Secretariat.

Launching the Sustainable Jobs Training Centre and sustainable jobs training stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program will directly benefit 35,000 workers, especially in the skilled trades, in all regions of the country.

The world is looking for renewable energy, and investors are prioritizing jurisdictions that take climate change seriously. Canadian workers will lead the way to a net-zero economy that works for everyone. 

Quote

"We need to lower emissions and build renewables, and it's workers who'll do it. This puts them in the driver's seat." 

Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Labour

We are pleased to see measures outlined in the Fall Economic Statement that specifically support tradespeople - a step in the right direction to combat labour availability, inflation and upskilling needs. We are committed to working with Minister O'Regan and his team to ensure our industry has more worker-focused supports for middle-class job creation in our changing economy and we fully understand how crucial it is to invest in our workers now. Making strategic investments for work opportunities at home to sustain our high-calibre workforce, ones that will grow our economy and our communities for generations to come, is a top priority for Trades NL and we look forward to furthering those discussions.

Tom Woodford, President of Trades NL and Business Manager, Ironworkers local 764

Quick Facts

  • The federal government's fiscal anchor—the unwinding of COVID-19-related deficits and reducing the federal debt-to-GDP ratio over the medium term—remains unchanged. The federal debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to continuously decline and is on a steeper downward track than projected in Budget 2022.
  • The Sustainable Jobs Training Centre would bring together workers, unions, employers, and training institutions across the country to examine the skills of the labour force today, forecast future skills requirements, and develop curriculum, micro-credentials, and on-site learning to help 15,000 workers upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in a low-carbon economy.
  • Funded projects through the new sustainable jobs stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program would support unions in leading the development of green skills training for workers in the trades. It is expected that 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons would benefit from this investment.
  • The Sustainable Jobs Secretariat will provide the most up to date information on federal programs, funding, and services across government departments as Canada works to build a low-carbon economy with opportunities for everyone.
  • New measures proposed in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement include:

1. Making Life More Affordable:

  • Permanently eliminating interest on federal student and apprentice loans;
  • Creating a new, quarterly Canada Workers Benefit with automatic advance payments to put more money back in the pockets of our lowest-paid workers, sooner;
  • Delivering on key pillars of the government's plan to make housing more affordable, including the creation of a new Tax-Free First Home Savings Account, a doubling of the First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit, and ensuring that property flippers pay their fair share; and,
  • Lowering credit card transaction fees for small business.

2.  Investing in Jobs, Growth, and an Economy That Works for Everyone:

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  • Launching the new Canada Growth Fund which will help bring to Canada the billions of dollars in new private investment required to reduce our emissions, grow our economy, and create good jobs;
  • Introducing major investment tax credits for clean technologies and clean hydrogen that will help create good jobs and make Canada a leader in the net-zero transition, and incentivizing higher wages for workers by increasing the level of the credit when certain labour protections are met;
  • Implementing a new tax on share buybacks by public corporations in Canada; and,
  • Creating the Sustainable Jobs Training Centre and investing in a new sustainable jobs stream of the Union Training and Innovation Program to equip workers with the skills required for the good jobs of today and the future.

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Jane Deeks, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Labour, 343-550-9594, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected], Trades NL Media Contact: Shanelle Clowe, Communications, 709-325-1040, [email protected]

Organization Profile

Employment and Social Development Canada

Related Organization(s)

Government of Canada