Tamara Jansen

“Madam Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City for her dedication to workers in her riding. I can assure her that the Government of Canada is dedicated to building a robust and inclusive workforce that supports all Canadians. These are serious and challenging times, and they must be met with a disciplined focus to help our country meet today’s challenges. It is here that I would like to highlight the Government of Canada’s labour market development agreements and workforce development agreements. Together, these agreements provide $2.9 billion annually in training and employment assistance services delivered through provincial and territorial employment assistance offices. These will help hundreds of thousands of Canadians upgrade their skills and find employment. In addition, new EI applicants are referred to local employment offices for customized training and employment services. This is informed by career development officers who have real-time labour market information and knowledge of local employment opportunities. However, more is needed to help Canadian workers who are affected by U.S. tariffs and global market shifts. That is why we are providing a further $570 million to the labour market development agreements to assist steel and softwood lumber workers and workers from other tariff-impacted industries. This support will be delivered through provincial and territorial networks until 2027‑28. For example, we have recently introduced $70.4 million in federal funding in the member opposite’s home province under the new Canada-British Columbia workforce tariff response. It is a three-year commitment that is expected to help more than 8,000 people across the province. This is in addition to the nearly $400 million we spend each year supporting employment programs in British Columbia. Tariffs have created stress and uncertainty for workers, employers and communities across Canada, and that is why we are working closely with governments at all levels to strengthen local economies and protect workers’ jobs. I can assure everyone that our elbows are up. Times are tough, but we have a plan, and we are working together to keep our elbows up to continue supporting our economy and building Canada strong. We know that our workers are at the heart of Canada’s economic strength. We are investing heavily in our people to develop greater economic resilience in all sectors. It is no secret that tariffs have hit the steel, automotive and softwood lumber sectors the hardest. That is why we are focusing on building an economy that is not reliant on one single partner. We are building a resilient economy that will help create new job opportunities for Canadian workers, an economy that remains focused on improving the outlook for Canadian workers to help them find and keep good jobs here at home. Helping Canadian workers is our top priority. That is why our spring economic update recently announced $6 billion focused on helping workers and young people gain the skills, experience and support they need to thrive. Canada is building big and bold. We have a plan to build no fewer than 500,000 homes each year, and it is called team Canada strong. It is a cornerstone of our spring economic update. It is a plan to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal trades workers in the next five years, a plan that will make it easier for apprentices to learn, train and access meaningful careers. We know there is more work to do to support Canadians, but I can assure everyone that we will always be there to support Canadian employers, workers and families.”