The recent throne speech has reiterated the federal government’s focus on job creation. Although a deal has yet to be struck with the provinces, the government is intent on implementing the Canada Job Grant. When Ottawa’s labour market agreements with provinces expire next year, instead of allocating provinces $500 million a year to deliver training, $300 million of that federal contribution would be utilized to fund the Canada Job Grant. The Canada Job Grant proposes that any businesses planning to train a worker could put up $5,000 in training costs at an eligible training institution, and be matched with $5,000 from each of the federal and provincial governments.
The government also pledged to continue to fund programs to provide work experience to youth in high-demand fields, and to reform the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure that Canadians always have the first opportunity on available jobs.