March 31, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario– Employment and Social Development Canada
The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and the Honourable Shirley Bond, British Columbia Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, today signed several agreements to help connect Canadians with available jobs, including one to implement the Canada Job Grant in British Columbia.
The Canada Job Grant is an innovative, employer-driven approach to help Canadians gain the skills and training they need to fill available jobs. It is designed to be flexible enough to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, in all industries and regions. By requiring employers to put more skin in the game, the Canada Job Grant will result in training that leads to guaranteed jobs. The Canada Job Grant will be delivered though the new Canada–British Columbia Job Fund (formerly known as a labour market agreement).
Additionally, the governments of Canada and British Columbia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a strong resource economy. As a significant economic driver in rural and remote regions, the resource industry has the potential to create thousands of jobs in British Columbia. The MOU affirms the commitment of both governments to work together, as well as with other partners, to develop the workforce the resource industry needs.
Minister Kenney and Minister Bond also renewed the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program, a federal–provincial/territorial cost-shared initiative that helps unemployed older workers become re-employed.
Quick Facts
- In the next 10 years, Canada is expected to need 319,000 new workers in the construction sector, with another 145,000 new workers in the mining sector and 130,000 new workers in the petroleum sector needed by 2020.
- Accounting and business advisory firm Grant Thornton LLP concluded that a liquefied natural gas industry in British Columbia, based on five plants operating by 2021, could create more than 39,000 jobs annually over a nine-year construction period and approximately 75,000 jobs once the plants were fully operational—more than 100,000 jobs in total.
- Since its launch in 2007, the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers has helped over 4,100 unemployed older workers in British Columbia.
Quotes
“Our government’s top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. The Canada Job Grant is part of our commitment to address the paradox of too many Canadians without jobs in an economy of too many jobs without Canadians. With employers' skin in the game, the Canada Job Grant will lead to a guaranteed job. Helping employers train Canadians for jobs that need to be filled will help their businesses grow and succeed. And that is good news for the British Columbia economy.”
- The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development
“The energy and resource industry in British Columbia has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars. Ensuring that British Columbia’s workforce has the skills needed by this industry is crucial to unlocking that potential.”
- The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry and Minister Responsible for British Columbia
“Our priority is making sure British Columbians are first in line for the over one million job openings expected by 2020. Together, these agreements will play a significant role in our work to connect British Columbians with the skills they need. We look forward to working in partnership with the federal government to connect people with the critical skills training programs and services that will ensure B.C.’s employers have the right workers, in the right place, at the right time.”
- The Honourable Shirley Bond, British Columbia Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour
Associated Links
src:news.gc.ca