Two Liberal parliamentary secretaries say federal plans to accelerate major projects are heightening existing labour-force gaps, including skills mismatches and training barriers.
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Two Liberal MPs who support Ottawa’s jobs and industry agendas say Canada’s push to fast-track major nation-building projects is adding pressure to a workforce already struggling to meet demand.
Leslie Church, parliamentary secretary to the minister of jobs, said the government’s focus on developing key projects is making long-standing weaknesses in Canada’s labour force harder to ignore. She pointed to a disconnect between people seeking work and industries trying to hire, citing skills mismatches and barriers to training.
Church said the federal government is investing in apprenticeships and training incentives aimed at accelerating workforce development, while emphasizing that employers and schools also need to align training with labour needs.
Karim Bardeesy, parliamentary secretary to the industry minister, said Canadian businesses have historically invested less in employee training than their counterparts in other OECD countries. He also cited gaps in workers’ “soft skills,” describing them as a lingering effect of the pandemic.
Church and Bardeesy made the comments during a panel discussion at a Future Skills Centre conference in Toronto on Wednesday.
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