Canada’s race to build big talent

Canada’s race to build big talent

From Wonk by Public Policy Forum

April 16, 2026 · 35 min · Season 4

About this episode

The episode discusses Canada's need for a large workforce by 2030 and the challenges in attracting and training talent.

Canada could need up to half a million new workers by 2030 — everything from the trades to high-tech entrepreneurs to knowledge workers. But between the U.S. hoovering up Canadian talent and new policies putting a chill on international students, building the talent we need might take some work. Host Amanda Lang talks to Robert Asselin, the CEO of U15, which represents Canada’s top 15 research universities, about training entrepreneurs, scaling up companies and winning talent.

People in this episode

Host: Amanda Lang

Guest: Robert Asselin

Topics covered

  • workforce development
  • international students
  • entrepreneurship
  • talent acquisition
  • higher education

Keywords

  • Canada
  • workforce
  • talent
  • international students
  • entrepreneurs
  • U15
  • training

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U15

Places: Canada

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