I know the program you referred to, POWA. That program was very beneficial, but it wasn't accessible in all provinces. In New Brunswick, for example, very few people had access to it, even though it was a federal program.
My company conducted a study on that program. It was a good idea because a number of people in the Atlantic region worked in the fisheries. Not only men and fishermen, but also women who worked in plants lost their jobs because of the cod moratorium.
It was a good program, but it should have been accessible in all provinces, not just in a few.