Federal support for apprentices has been generous with the $1.4 billion allocated between 2007 and 2012 in programs like the apprenticeship job creation tax credit, the apprenticeship incentive grant, and the apprenticeship completion grant. To this we are pleased to see being added the Canada apprentice loan. However, since the existing programs are being restricted to Red Seal trades only, and this appears to be the plan again for the Canada apprentice loan, many young people wanting a career in the residential construction industry are not eligible for these supports.
Red Seal remains an important part of the residential construction industry, and we are pleased to see continued support for it. However, in addition to this, the profile of jobs in our industry has been changing a lot over recent decades. For example, the traditional carpenter as recognized under Red Seal is less and less a reality in today's residential construction industry. Instead, what we have a need for is specialty subtrades such as framers. These and many other provincially recognized trades—people who are really building houses these days—must also be recognized under federal funding and programs in addition to the Red Seal trades.
We at CHBA have compiled a list of 41 provincially designated trades that are employed in the residential construction industry. Of these, 23 are Red Seal, but 18 are apprenticeable trades that are not recognized by Red Seal. Accordingly, there's a great number of skilled workers in our industry—an industry that's a huge economic activity generator—who remain ineligible at this time.
To be clear, this isn't an ask for additional funding, nor would it take away funding from other trades. Of the $1.4 billion that I mentioned earlier, over $558 million was left unspent. So this is available funding that could be going to other apprenticeable trades, and with nearly half of our apprenticeable trades in the residential construction industry not Red Seal, that significant amount of federal support intended to help apprentices isn't currently reaching a very important part of the market.
The net consequences of this disconnect are the following: an untapped opportunity to create good-paying jobs that our economy is demanding; elevated housing costs to consumers and families due to a shortage of skilled tradespeople; and young people not getting the skills training they need to meaningfully enter the job market. This equates to untapped economic growth, untapped job creation potential, untapped wealth creation, and frankly, untapped additional revenue for governments.
The opportunity is here now to get this one right and expand the list of eligible trades for the Canada apprentice loan to include all provincially designated trades. Indeed, we would ask that all federal funding aimed at apprentices be accessible to all provincially designated trades.
We know the government has a great desire, which we support, for labour mobility. We saw this was made evident in the Agreement on Internal Trade. This doesn't require Red Seal. It instead requires provinces to recognize each other's regulated trades, which is very good. This trend in federal programming needs to continue and support not just Red Seal but also these other groups to be consistent with other actions taken by the government.
Broadening the eligibility of federal support for apprenticeable trades beyond Red Seal will be one of the most effective means, we feel, to encourage young people to take up skilled trades and reduce labour shortages. It's a small but significant change that will put federal support for skills in line with contemporary profiles of today's trades, while meeting the needs and demands of our companies. We feel that this is a relatively simple opportunity and simple solution, with great opportunity to help Canadians.
Thank you.