Thank you for the question.
Even as the government has implemented and is acting on an economic action plan in response to a recession, it is also important to keep our eye on the ball going forward. We know that there are skills shortages even now in certain occupations and professions in certain areas of the country. This presents a challenge going forward as well.
There are a number of things we are doing--for example, the investments in the skills training that the previous questioner asked me about. That money is being transferred to provinces where it's being spent on both EI and non-EI clients. The action plan put out an additional $750 million per year over the two years for those purposes--I've actually found my figures. That's going to provide up to 120,000 Canadians or so each year with the opportunity to upgrade their skills or train for jobs that will be in demand down the road.
You mentioned the targeted initiative for older workers. The economic action plan provided additional investment in that initiative too. The provinces and territories are in the lead in developing the projects, or working in communities to have the projects designed. The bottom line is that it's about trying to equip older workers with the skills that will allow them to fill jobs in demand and remain in the labour force now and into the future.