Employment and Social Development Canada published a backgrounder on the new measures introduced to build a strong and confident workforce. In September, the Government of Canada introduced several new measures and investments to protect, build, and transform Canadian industries that are most impacted by tariffs and trade disruptions. The Government introduced the following measures: a reskilling package to train workers, workforce alliances and the Sectoral Workforce Investment Fund, Employment Insurance temporary measures, and plans to modernize the Job Bank.

The reskilling package will provide training programs for workers impacted by tariffs and global market shifts. The workforce alliances will bring together government, employers, unions, and industry organizations to develop and implement tailored workforce development strategies. The Sectoral Workforce Investment Fund will tackle urgent labour market challenges, drive growth and advance industrial strategies. The Employment Insurance temporary measures have already supported tens of thousands of workers impacted by tariffs by providing them with timely and reliable access to EI benefits, and two temporary EI measures will now be extended from October 2025 until April 11, 2026. The Job Bank’s online job tools will be modernized over the next five years, and the Government will also launch a national online training platform to help adults find short-duration training courses, sorted by skill type, location, and format, working with public and private sector partners.

For further information about the backgrounder, click here.