As far as I'm concerned, there wouldn't be a skills shortage in the construction trades, which is the industry that provides tradesmen for the rest of the industries. For example, if a hospital needs a plumber, they don't start an apprenticeship; they take a plumber who typically comes from the construction industry and he goes and works for the hospital. Factories don't have apprenticeships. Construction is the factory that produces tradesmen.
If the governments in the past across Canada had supported training and apprenticeships, such as they've done in Alberta and in Quebec, there would be no skills shortage and there would be plenty of people lined up to get into the apprenticeships, whether they come from offshore—