Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning to you and members of the committee.
I'd like to begin by acknowledging that I'm joining you today from the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
Thank you for the invitation to appear before the committee today and for this opportunity to discuss the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development's Report on Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy.
Employment and Social Development Canada, or ESDC, plays a key role in supporting a just transition for Canadians, including supporting Natural Resources Canada to develop just transition legislation and supporting Canadian workers, including equity-deserving groups, in gaining the skills they need for in-demand jobs in key sectors, such as those being created by the transition to a cleaner economy.
We understand the importance of this audit, we agree with its recommendations and we are currently taking steps to address the findings from the Office of the Auditor General.
The commissioner noted that the world is increasingly shifting to clean options. ESDC will continue to support sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic by helping employers address labour shortages and giving people living in Canada the skills they need to find good jobs.
Under the leadership of Natural Resources Canada, we have completed public consultations on the just transition legislation to seek feedback from a broad range of stakeholders, including workers, unions, employers, communities, provinces and territories, as well as indigenous groups. This valuable input will help us make informed and thoughtful decisions on the just transition.
As most of you already know, labour market pressures are affecting practically all sectors of the economy and most regions of the country. As of February of this year, there were more than 820,000 job vacancies across Canada, which is still significantly higher than prepandemic levels.
To address the labour shortages facing the Canadian economy, it will be necessary to maximize all sources of labour but also capitalize on the opportunities presented by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
To this end, ESDC has a large suite of skills and employment programming and has taken concrete measures to help workers thrive in a low-carbon economy.
For example, to help Canadians access training to meet the changing needs of industry and help employers retain and attract a skilled and diverse workforce, ESDC has recently completed a call for proposals for the sectoral workforce solutions program. This new program will fund sectoral projects that focus on a range of industry-driven activities to help address labour market needs, with a particular focus on building talent for the clean economy.
Maximizing workforce participation is also about accessing untapped labour pools and removing the barriers that restrict workforce participation.
In order to make our workforce more diverse and inclusive, budget 2022 proposes to provide $115 million over five years, with $30 million ongoing, to expand the foreign credential recognition program and help 11,000 skilled newcomers per year get their credentials recognized. Their experience and talent will be needed in technology fields such as automation and digital innovation, which will play a key role in our transition to a low-carbon economy.
In addition, budget 2022 plans to double the amount of funding going to the union training and innovation program to $84.2 million over four years. This funding will help 3,500 apprentices from equity-deserving groups begin and succeed in careers in the Red Seal trades by providing targeted investments that are aimed at addressing barriers that limit participation in fields such as the clean economy.
We recognize the important role that the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development plays in holding the government to account on its environmental priorities.
So, I can assure you that ESDC will continue to work closely with Natural Resources Canada and all of its partners to support a green recovery that will create jobs, build a clean economy and fight and protect against climate change.
Again, thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to appear before you today.
I'll now end my opening remarks.