Human Resources Committee on Sept. 24th, 2026

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Bains, despite what you're telling me, the Government of Quebec has criticized these encroachments and reminded the federal government that workforce training is a provincial jurisdiction and that Quebec has its own programs.

I think my six minutes are up, but that's okay. I'll have another turn, Mr. Bains.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madame Larouche.

We will now go to Ms. Falk for five minutes.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you, MP Bains. I know that private members' bills are a lot of work. Thank you for taking the time and being here to answer our questions.

I just want to follow up on where my colleague left off. We know that Canada needs more people entering the skilled trades. Workers need to be able to move where the work is and where the jobs are. Labour mobility is an important part of addressing our skilled trades and workforce needs. That's something that this committee has heard repeatedly, not only in this Parliament but I would say over the last few parliaments. We've heard that this is a necessity.

You have identified a number of barriers facing skilled trades workers in this legislation, including challenges with credential recognition and labour mobility. Why did you feel it was necessary to bring forward legislation to address these issues now?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

I think, in a way, it's an easy answer. If you look at this government's approach to what we need to do at this time to produce more energy, build more infrastructure and strengthen our supply chains, we need to also work really hard on training and making—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Why now? This committee has heard these concerns for the past three.... Well, ever since I've been here we've heard these concerns at this committee. I'm just wondering why it now takes a private member, such as you, to bring it forward to get the government to take it as an important issue.

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

It's an interesting question. Why didn't we do it 30 years ago? I mean, I'm bringing this forward because—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

I know, but I'm not saying 30 years ago; I'm saying five years ago. We went through COVID. COVID definitely shifted things. Canadians felt the need to be able to manufacture here and to have workers go where they needed to go, so I'm just wondering—why now? I'm just trying to understand. Why now? I'm not referencing 30 years ago. I don't want that to be misunderstood. You see it as important, but why hasn't the government taken the initiative?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

Well, I think the government has. This is a complementary bill that pinpoints one area, looking at skilled trades specifically. The government, in 1995, had the agreement on internal trade, which is now the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. Then our government took the step to reduce internal trade barriers by 100%.

How can we also complement the work that the government's doing? We need to do more. We have to continue to do more. This bill, then, does a little more. If we're going to do that, we need the people to do it, so this allows for that.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

This bill doesn't actually remove those barriers, though. It directs the government to consult, develop a framework and then make recommendations on how those barriers could be addressed. If there's already knowledge of these barriers, why are we making a framework and consulting more instead of just getting it done?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

It's because we have to respect every jurisdiction. If we look at—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Are you saying, though, that the government hasn't been consulting on this?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

No. The government has begun some work. If you look at, as I mentioned, reducing the internal trade barriers by 100%, that's work. I'm picking a specific area: the Canadians who will support that work. That means we need people, skilled trades workers, to continue to support that work.

Then, as you mentioned, why would we consult? Why would we not just do this? I'm sure that our friends from Quebec could look at that and say why—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

I just expect the government's always doing that work and not taking a break from that.

I think my time's running out, so I have just one last thing. Subclause 3(2) of the bill requires, at least, nine months of consultation. Given that we know these barriers have already existed for years—we've heard it in this committee, and I'm pretty sure we've even had reports go to the House addressing these concerns—why does the government need another consultation process before addressing this? That's what I'm struggling with.

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

It's because it formalizes that work. I think that if you look at what the bill does, it allows for having some accountability added to it. It strengthens the work. It tells—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

What happens if the consultation isn't finished within that time? I think you've mentioned to my colleague that there isn't anything formally in the bill to hold that accountability to a timeline, so what are the accountability measures, then, that would—

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

There have been previous bills.... That could apply to every private member's bill—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Yes, and it should, absolutely. We need to make sure that we are accountable to the taxpayers.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Madame Falk, your time is over.

Ms. Koutrakis, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will be sharing my time with my colleague, Ms. Harrison.

Thank you, Mr. Bains, for bringing this private member's bill forward. As you mentioned in your opening remarks and in an answer to one of our colleagues, it's been 30 years in the making. I know that a lot of work is being done already to ensure that we don't duplicate efforts.

As you know, provinces and territories are the ones that predominantly deal with skilled trades certification. From the conversations you've had with workers, employers and training institutions, where are the gaps that require greater federal leadership? What would this bill allow us to accomplish that we aren't accomplishing today? Where are the gaps? What are you hearing from workers in your riding and from stakeholders you have spoken with?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

Thank you for the question.

The biggest key gaps are in many of the standards. Many—up to 54 Red Seal skilled trades—are, let's say, compliant across different jurisdictions. However, the governance of them and the implementation of them still vary in every jurisdiction.

What I've heard most is that we still need to go in, look at all of the standards—at the governance of them and how they're applied and implemented—and make sure the work is being done still. That's because of certifications. If someone is working in one area and they're moving into a different province, they still may need...they will lose time just to be certified. That's a gap that we need to remove.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

What would you say to some critics who may ask if this bill will help provinces work together and will make sure we're not adding another layer of bureaucracy? We may hear that maybe we're duplicating efforts across all the provinces and territories. Will your private member's bill help to reduce that or to eliminate that altogether?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Richmond East—Steveston, BC]

Ultimately, that is the goal. The goal is to ensure that, in simpler terms, everyone is on the same page, and people can freely and easily move between jurisdictions. We can do that only if all of those standards are being met. That work needs to be done to allow for that free movement.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Ms. Harrison is next.

[Emma Harrison, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you very much.

Thank you, MP Bains.

This bill is incredibly important. I come from a skilled trades family. The riding of Peterborough, which I represent, is full of skilled tradespeople.

In your opening statement, you mentioned that people need to follow where opportunity exists. I think your private member's bill is meeting the moment that the government is also meeting, which is that we need to build big and we need to build big coast to coast to coast, but that can't possibly happen without skilled trades workers.

I would like to know and give you the opportunity to discuss a bit more who you spoke with and with what businesses and workers. What did you hear from them when you were consulting?