Why we’re spending billions to attract more people into skilled trades

Why we’re spending billions to attract more people into skilled trades

From Closer Look by Village Media Inc.

May 24, 2026 · 18 min

About this episode

The episode discusses a $6-billion plan by the Canadian government to recruit and train skilled tradespeople to address workforce shortages.

Last month, Mark Carney’s Liberal government announced a $6-billion plan to help recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new skilled tradespeople over the next five years. The plan acknowledges a longstanding concern: that Canada has an urgent need for more carpenters, plumbers, millwrights and heavy equipment operators. Among the new initiatives is a $5,000 bonus when a worker completes their Red Seal certification, a process Ottawa also wants to modernize by introducing online exams, digital ...

Topics covered

  • skilled trades
  • government funding
  • workforce development
  • training programs
  • employment initiatives

Keywords

  • skilled trades
  • Canada
  • Mark Carney
  • Liberal government
  • Red Seal certification
  • training
  • employment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Liberal government

Products: Red Seal certification

Places: Canada

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