Halifax, Nova Scotia – Employment and Social Development Canada

Scott Armstrong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development, today held discussions, on behalf of Minister Jason Kenney, with Aboriginal and industry leaders on how to increase jobs and opportunities for Aboriginal people.

The roundtables in Nova Scotia are part of a series of roundtables taking place across Canada with Aboriginal organizations and employers about the need to fill skills shortages and to ensure that federal investments in Aboriginal training are providing Aboriginal people with the skills they need in today’s economy.

Many of the hundreds of resource projects set to come online in the coming years are near Aboriginal communities, providing tremendous jobs opportunities for Aboriginal people in Canada. Ensuring that Aboriginal people have the skills required to fill these jobs will help employers address the skills shortage they are facing and improve the economic and social well-being of Aboriginal people in Canada.

Quick Facts

• The natural resource industry currently supports 32,000 Aboriginal jobs—making natural resources the largest employer of Aboriginal people in Canada.
• Nova Scotia’s Fiscal Update Forecast (December 2013) reports that gross domestic product is expected to grow by 2.0 percent in 2014. Drivers of this growth include Encana’s Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Project and major projects such as the Halifax Convention Centre.
• The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy will create many job opportunities across Nova Scotia.

Quote

“Our government’s top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. Given the proximity of many Aboriginal communities to large economic projects, there is a tremendous opportunity to address some of Canada’s skills shortages, while improving economic opportunities for Aboriginal people. These roundtables allow our government to hear directly from stakeholders on how our Aboriginal labour market programs can continue to respond to the skills and training needs of workers and employers.”

- Scott Armstrong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development