It's my pleasure to be here on behalf of the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada.
PCA represents and supports progressive, unionized employers in Canada's construction industry. Our member companies employ approximately 30,000 skilled tradespeople, unionized primarily by the Christian Labour Association of Canada. PCA's goal as an association is to ensure that Canada has a fair and open construction industry, cooperative labour relations, and a robust, inclusive, and highly capable workforce. Our members account for over 40% of all energy and resource sector construction in western Canada, and are leaders in infrastructure construction across the country.
Our members also lead the industry in the recruitment of under-represented communities into the trades, including women, first nations, and new Canadians, but especially in the recruitment and training of young Canadians. In western Canada, where provincial regulations best support the hiring and training of young workers, registered apprentices comprise over 35% of the total PCA workforce. This does not include thousands more young people presently working for our companies outside of an apprenticeship in trades in which certification is not mandatory.
But like most companies in Canada's construction industry, PCA members continue to struggle to find enough workers to meet growing demand, particularly in B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Canada's youth unemployment figures provide clear evidence that we still have an untapped resource available to us.
We believe the barriers that specifically prevent young Canadians from finding careers in the trades can be categorized as follows: barriers of perception, barriers of entry, and barriers of mobility. Let me briefly address each one.
First, careers in trades continue to suffer from a significant negative stigma in the eyes of many Canadian parents and educators. PCA believes industry should play the lead role in fixing this problem in partnership with governments at all levels and our training system providers. One initiative worth considering is the creation of a cost-matching grant program to support industry-led promotion of the skilled trades.
Second, there are numerous barriers to entry for young people into the trades, including cost, proximity to employers and training providers, and family circumstances. Regrettably, a number of provincial jurisdictions, including Ontario, where youth unemployment is among the highest in the country, are only making this problem worse by erecting new barriers for our young workers. These barriers include high journeymen-to-apprentice ratios, the expansion of compulsory trade certification, and a host of new fees, bureaucratic hurdles, and red tape. PCA encourages the federal government to facilitate a national dialogue with its provincial counterparts to identify and address these barriers and build a national trades system with lower barriers to entry across every region.
Third, there are barriers to mobility. If young workers are unable to find skilled trades opportunities in their home regions, then we owe it to them to provide every possible means to move to a region where they will find that opportunity. One solution the federal government should take a closer look at is the creation of a lump sum mobility grant accessible through the employment insurance system. Mobility grants allow a person who is unemployed in one area of the country to utilize future employment insurance benefits in the form of a lump sum payment in order to relocate to another area of the country where workers are needed. The funds advanced from these EI payments would then be used to fund job search, training, and relocation costs.
In conclusion, PCA thanks the committee for taking on this important study. The challenges are many that confront young Canadians in their pursuit of lasting employment, but there are also solutions and steps that industry and government can take together to make progress. PCA stands ready to play our part.
I'll be pleased to answer any questions you may have.