Question Period Note: APPRENTICESHIP AND THE SKILLED TRADES

What is the Government of Canada doing to support apprenticeship and the skilled trades? Demand for skilled trades workers is expected to remain strong, with over 593,000 projected job openings in Red Seal trade-related occupations between 2024 and 20331.

The scale of investments in housing and infrastructure projects will add to this demand. If nothing changes, Canada will face a persistent gap of more than 20,000 skilled trades workers per year.

Apprenticeship is a proven industry-based method of training, combining on-the-job (about 85%) and in-class technical training (about 15%) that leads to certification in a skilled trade.

Apprenticeship is a provincial/territorial responsibility. However, the Federal Government plays a key role by making significant investments through various initiatives, including the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy (CAS), to support apprenticeship and the skilled trades. The CAS, delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), aims to support a trades workforce that is skilled, diverse and job-ready for today’s economy.

Employers play a fundamental role in apprenticeship and effective apprenticeship systems rely on their active participation.

Unions also play a critical role in apprenticeship. They provide quality training and upskilling opportunities to apprentices and journeypersons in the Red Seal trades. They also provide required occupational health and safety training and mentorship opportunities for apprentices with experienced journeypersons.

Developing Canada’s skilled trades workforce and enhancing labour mobility will be crucial to constructing and maintaining major nation-building projects, including infrastructure needed for energy independence and diversifying trade.

That is why the Government is investing in the skilled trades through the new Team Canada Strong initiative, which will be launched to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2030-2031.

This $6 billion investment, over five years, will develop Canada’s skilled trades workforce by expanding training access, supporting talent attraction and retention, and strengthening sector-wide workforce planning.

If pressed on why new investments are needed

The overall trades labour supply is facing challenges and is a pressing concern.  

We need to move quickly to recruit and train the workers we need: retirements and economic growth mean that Canada will need more than 1.4 million new trades workers by 2033, and the scale of investments in housing and infrastructure projects will add to this demand.

Too few young Canadians are entering the trades—missing out on well-paid jobs and long-term financial security. If we want them to benefit from the good jobs that the Build Canada agenda will deliver, we need a new approach.

If pressed on details regarding the scope and implementation of the Team Canada Strong initiative

We are moving quickly, but responsibly, to help ensure the investment delivers real results for apprentices, employers, and major projects.

More information will be shared as programs and implementation details become available.  

If pressed on how the Team Canada Strong initiative will support women in the skilled trades

With women still representing only 11% of red seal apprentices, increasing women’s participation in the trades remains essential to meeting labour demand.

Federal measures under the CAS as well as the new Team Canada Strong initiative will continue to prioritize supporting women and under‑represented groups entering and succeeding in the skilled trades

The Red Seal Program, formally known as the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, is a program that sets common standards to assess the skills of tradespeople across Canada. Industry is heavily involved in developing the national standard for each trade. It is a partnership between the federal government and provinces and territories, which are responsible for apprenticeship training and trade certification in their jurisdictions.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy (CAS) is a grants and contribution program that aims to support a trades workforce that is skilled, diverse and job-ready for today’s economy. It provides funding under different initiatives to help pre-apprentices, apprentices, employers, unions, and other organizations and tradespeople participate in apprenticeships and succeed in skilled trades careers.

The Spring Economic Update 2026 proposed an investment of up to $6 billion over five years, including:

$2 billion over five years, starting in 2026-2027, with $262 million ongoing for:

The new Team Canada Strong Program, which will provide youth aged 15-30 with paid, entry-level, trades-related work experience that can lead into apprenticeship.

The Build Canada Apprenticeship Service, that will help employers to hire, and train apprentices by providing financial incentives of up to $10,000 for their first-year salary, helping to match apprentices to job opportunities, and offering hands on navigation and support.

$331 million over five years, starting in 2026-2027, with $18 million ongoing for

Red Seal Program modernization, reducing certification delays and improving consistency nationwide by introducing online exams, digital logbooks, and secure credentials, and creating a single national registered apprenticeship number.

Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) expansion, enabling union-run training centres to upgrade facilities, expanding capacity, and investing in modern equipment.

$3.4 billion over five years, starting in 2026-2027, and $468 million ongoing for

Apprenticeship Training Grant: Providing apprentices with a weekly income top up of $400 per week while they are attending mandatory in class technical training, paid in addition to Employment Insurance.

Apprenticeship completion bonus and continuation support: To increase apprenticeship completion rates by providing a one-time $5,000 bonus to apprentices obtaining certification in a Red Seal trade, and providing income supports for those between training and work.

Previous Budget Announcements to Support the Skilled Trades

Budget 2025 announced $75 million over three years, starting 2026-2027, to double the UTIP to support union-based apprenticeship training in the Red Seal trades.

Budget 2024 announced $100 million to bolster the labour force in support of housing for the following initiatives under the CAS:

$90 million for the Apprenticeship Service to help create placements with small and medium-sized employers for apprentices.

This follows the time-limited pilot, which operated between 2022 and 2024, that funded over 11,000 employers across Canada who created jobs for more than 14,000 first-year apprentices in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

$10 million for the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program to encourage Canadians to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

Program Results:

Budget 2016 announced $110 million over five years, from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022, and $25 million per year ongoing for the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP. This initiative provides annual funding to support union-based apprenticeship training, innovation, and enhanced partnerships in the Red Seal trades across Canada through two permanent streams of funding for investments in training equipment, and innovation in apprenticeship

Since its inception in 2017, the Government invested over $278 million, supporting 173,800 participants. A key priority for UTIP is to support equity-deserving groups (EDG) (i.e., women, Indigenous people, newcomers, persons with disabilities, racialized communities, and SLGBTQI+). In 2024-2025, 28,463 individuals participated in skills training activities, including 14,101 from EDGs.

The Investment in Training Equipment (formerly Stream 1) is cost‑shared where organizations must provide a 50% cash contribution from non‑federal sources, or 30% if over half of project activities face challenges. As of February 2026, shipping and installation costs, including GST/HST, are now eligible expenses.

In summer 2024, the Government launched a call for proposals to support unions in leading the development of green training for workers in the Red Seal trades through the new Sustainable Jobs Stream under the CAS. This stream is expected to benefit up to 30,000 Red Seal trades workers with over $62 million across ten new projects.

To account for specificities in Quebec’s apprentice training system (where unions are not involved), the CAS is implemented in Quebec through a separate agreement with the provincial government. Under the current agreement, ESDC is providing $64.1 million to Quebec. This includes: $39.4 million over five years (2023-2024 to 2027-2028) to support UTIP objectives; and, $24.7 million over five years (2025-2026 through 2029-2030) which reflects 2022 FES funding for the Sustainable Jobs. The latter was jointly announced by Canada and Quebec on March 9, 2026.

In fall 2022, ESDC launched the Women in the Skilled Trades Initiative, which funds projects that recruit, retain, and help women apprentices succeed in any of the 39 eligible Red Seal trades found predominately in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

The Women in the Skilled Trades initiative is funding 30 projects across Canada to recruit, retain, and aims to support over 11,600 women in Red Seal trades, particularly in construction and manufacturing.

To date, approximately $53.6 million has been invested in thirty projects, between 2023-2024 and 2027-2028.

Approximately 6,000 women have participated to date, 735 in 2023-2024 and 5,128 in 2025-2026, including supporting entry into construction and manufacturing trades where they are underrepresented.

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