Canada proposes improved opportunities for workers despite the current economic slowdown

To address the impact of global economic crisis on Canadians, the present Conservative government has presented a plan to stimulate the Canadian economy and to help workers and businesses in hard-pressed sectors such as manufacturing, the automotive industry and forestry.

Whereas the Economic and Fiscal Statement 2008 is basically a set of actions that government will undertake to strengthen Canada’s economic and financial fundamentals over the coming quarters, but this statement also announces a number of steps to improve the opportunities for workers and to encourage the full participation of immigrants and Aboriginals in the economy.

For example, it has been proposed that government will encourage the provincial premiers and territorial leaders to achieve their goal of amending the Agreement on Internal Trade by January 1, 2009 so as to achieve "full mobility for all Canadians" by April 1, 2009. Similarly, increasing labor market participation, especially of under-represented groups such as immigrants, continues to be a government priority. In particular, the government will seek opportunities to reach out to a growing Aboriginal population to match the demands created by resource development and the overall tightening of the national labor market over the next decade.

The government will also continue to explore ways to ensure the immigration program is aligned with labor market needs. These efforts will be in addition to Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which has been delivered recently and help improve the processing of immigration applications under the federal skilled worker category.

Efforts will also be made to improve the recognition of credentials that foreign workers bring with them, and for this purpose, it has been proposed that a comprehensive and consistent approach will be adopted across the country, starting with regulated professions where shortages are the most acute. Furthermore, efforts will also be done to attract top international students to Canada and to increase the uptake of immigrant settlement programs.

To improve the opportunities for workers, government is currently investing in education and training by providing long-term support for post-secondary education, introducing the new Canada Student Grant and modernizing the Canada Student Loans Program.

The government is also implementing a comprehensive labor market training architecture announced in Budget 2007, including the $3 billion over six years provided to provinces and territories for new Labor Market Agreements to address the gap in programming for those who currently do not qualify for training under the Employment Insurance (EI) Program.

Overall, the government has committed that it will continue to work in cooperation with the provinces and territories and Aboriginal leaders to reduce barriers to labour mobility, enhance skills development, and encourage the full participation of immigrants and Aboriginals in the economy despite the current economic slowdown.