Canada labour ministers advance training, mobility agenda after Halifax meeting

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Labour ministers training agenda

Highlights

Federal Minister Patty Hajdu commits additional $2 billion over five years from 2026-27 for new bilateral training agreements with provinces and territories.
Forum of Labour Market Ministers advances $6 billion federal initiative to recruit, hire, and train up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades professionals by 2030-31.
Ministers plan labour mobility measures, including a digital platform and a working group, with a final report expected by fall 2026.

Halifax talks set training and mobility priorities

As reported by Canada.ca, citing Employment and Social Development Canada, the Forum of Labour Market Ministers in Halifax focuses on five shared priorities, skilled trades, Labour Market Transfer Agreements, labour mobility and foreign credential recognition, youth entry into the workforce, and support for workers in an AI-enabled economy.

Federal Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu opens the meeting by announcing additional funding of $2 billion over five years starting in 2026-27 for new bilateral agreements with provinces and territories. She also outlines a broader $6 billion federal initiative aimed at recruiting, hiring and training up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades professionals by 2030-31.

Ministers hear presentations on global economic uncertainty and trade-related pressures affecting workers, employers and pan-Canadian labour markets. They also meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and leaders from Nova Scotia's construction industry to discuss the current and future labour market outlook.

Funding pressures and workforce adaptation in focus

Ministers reaffirm the need to help workers and employers adapt to emerging technologies, strengthen skills development, address labour gaps and support long-term economic growth with broader labour market participation. They say apprenticeship, training and certification systems remain central to matching workers with jobs tied to major infrastructure projects and employer demand.

Provincial and territorial ministers stress that Labour Market Transfer Agreements should keep pace with population growth and inflation, while also supporting major projects. They agree to pursue improvements including identifying best practices, reducing administrative burden and preserving strong outcomes for Canadians, while some provinces and territories also raise concerns about planned federal reductions to Workforce Development Agreements funding.

On labour mobility, ministers say progress has been made under the Labour Mobility Action Plan but call for faster action. Interested jurisdictions will direct deputy ministers to launch a working group to develop stronger measures, including a digital platform to help Canadians begin working more quickly, with a report due by fall 2026.

Ministers also agree to work with the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration through the Joint Task Force to address barriers facing internationally trained professionals from pre-arrival through labour market integration. They add that young workers need stronger pathways into jobs through employment services, training, work-integrated learning and employer partnerships, while collaboration on AI will deepen analysis of effects on jobs, productivity and workforce policy.

Our earlier article on the Build Communities Strong Fund covered Ottawa’s plan to scale infrastructure investment to keep essential municipal services aligned with rapid housing growth. Using Surrey as an example, it detailed federal and local funding for water, wastewater, and stormwater upgrades, alongside timelines and eligibility rules for shovel-ready projects under the program’s Direct Delivery stream.

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