
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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