HAMILTON, ON, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Since 2015, the Government of Canada has focused on strengthening and growing the middle class and offering real help to people working hard to join it. This is part of our plan to build a workforce that will lead in innovation and create good, well-paying jobs. The plan is working: since November 2015, hard-working Canadians have created more than 900,000 new jobs.
Budget 2019 is the next step in the Government's plan to make sure middle-class Canadians benefit from Canada's economic growth. This includes helping more Canadians find an affordable home, prepare for good, well-paying jobs, retire with confidence and afford the prescription drugs they need.
Speaking at Mohawk College, in Hamilton today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, highlighted how investments in Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, would help Canadians find and keep good jobs in a rapidly changing job market and in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Through Budget 2019, the Government is taking concrete action for students and workers of all ages by:
- Helping workers gain new skills with the creation of the new Canada Training Benefit, a benefit that will give workers money to help pay for training, provide income support during training, and, with the cooperation of the provinces and territories, offer job protection so that workers can take the time they need to keep their skills relevant and in demand.
- Making post-secondary education more affordable by lowering interest rates on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans, and making the six-month grace period interest-free after a student loan borrower leaves school.
- Providing more on-the-job learning to young Canadians by supporting the creation of up to 84,000 new student work placements by 2023–24, a significant step toward making sure every student who wants to gain relevant, real-world experience can do so.
- Enhancing support for apprenticeship, encouraging more people to consider training and working in the skilled trades.
- Creating meaningful service opportunities through the Canada Service Corps for young Canadians to learn new skills, gain leadership experience and contribute to their communities.
- Providing distinctions-based funding for post-secondary education to help First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation students better access post-secondary education and succeed during their studies.
- Creating opportunities for young Canadians to study or work abroad and gain skills needed to succeed in a global economy.
- Providing better supports for all youth through a modernized Youth Employment Strategy.
Canadians are among the most-skilled, highest-educated workers in the world, and through Budget 2019, the Government is ensuring Canadians can keep their skills relevant so that they can build good careers and benefit from Canada's growing economy.
Quote
"The Canada Training Benefit is about giving workers the two things they need most to upgrade their skills: time and money. These measures will help Canadians find and keep good, well-paying jobs and ensure our workforce is prepared for the future of work in Canada."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
Quick Facts
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that about 1 in 10 Canadian jobs are at high risk of automation, with about 1 in three 3 likely to experience significant change as a result of automation.
- The Government has already introduced a number of measures to help Canadian workers find and keep good jobs today, and prepare for the new good jobs of tomorrow:
- Budget 2016 grew Canada Student Grant amounts by 50 percent and expanded eligibility criteria, making it possible for more students to receive assistance they don't have to pay back. The Government also increased thresholds for the Repayment Assistance Plan so that no graduate will have to repay their Canada Student Loan until they earn at least $25,000 per year.
- In Budget 2017, the Government introduced its Innovation and Skills Plan—an agenda that focuses on people and addresses the changing nature of the economy.
- Skills Boost, a series of measures announced in Budgets 2017 and 2018, plays a key role in ensuring the Government is able to support adults who want to return to school and upgrade their skills.
- Budget 2018 introduced a Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which helps people who are currently underrepresented in the trades—including women, young people, Indigenous People, newcomers and people with disabilities—prepare for an apprenticeship.
- Budget 2018 also introduced the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women to support women entering, progressing and completing their training in Red Seal trades where women are underrepresented.
- The Government makes significant investments in skills development—close to $7.5 billion annually. More than $3 billion of this programming is delivered in partnership with the provinces, territories and Indigenous groups, and targets students and Canadians who are unemployed.
- In Budget 2018, the Government committed to a review of skills programming to maximize its effectiveness, particularly the way in which support is provided to workers wishing to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
Related Documents
Budget Plan
Budget Speech
Backgrounder: The Canada Training Benefit
Backgrounder: An Affordable Place to Call Home
Backgrounder: Moving Forward on Implementing National Pharmacare
Backgrounder: A Secure and Dignified Retirement for Canadians
Backgrounder: Advancing Reconciliation With Indigenous Peoples
Backgrounder: Building a Better Canada: Universal High-Speed Internet
Backgrounder: Strong Communities, Affordable Electricity and a Clean Economy
Gender Report
Investing in Young Canadians
The Fiscal Monitor (Financial Results for January 2019)
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Véronique Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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