Public Accounts committee  Yes. Thank you very much. Just super quickly, the Government of Canada invests about a billion dollars annually in the skilled trades and has made significant new investments over the past few years, including the new apprenticeship service, as well as the most recent budget 2022 announcement to double the union training and innovation program.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for the question. We do this on a couple of fronts. We do it through the foreign credential recognition program, for which we also received new funding as part of budget 2022. As well, we do it through the Red Seal program, which really facilitates the mobility of apprentices and journeypersons across Canada.

Industry committee  Again, that would be a question best answered by IRCC. We do have a number of apprenticeship programs we are looking at to get youth more engaged in the trades and to get marginalized equity-deserving groups more engaged in the trades. It is predominantly a white male-driven occupation, and we need to make sure that it diversifies so that we actually have the labour we need to work in that field.

Industry committee  The vast majority are at the provincial level. They often further delegate that responsibility to regulators in their province. There are a few exceptions that are federal.

Industry committee  Yes, we do. For example, in the trades it's something that we do look at. However, systems are often very different, depending on the country of origin. Our colleagues at immigration also look at things before people come to Canada. Are there ways to facilitate them in gathering the information that they will need to get their credentials recognized, and to be aware of the time it takes and the processes that might be involved as well?

Industry committee  I can't speak to that particular example, but that is exactly what we're trying to do at a federal level—look at some of these best practices, make sure they work, replicate them more on a national level and encourage other PTs to take on similar practices.

Industry committee  It's a great question. Thank you. I would just say this: How do we best onboard everybody? I think this will require everybody's participation, whether it's colleges, employers or workers. How do we convince them that it is in everybody's interest to make sure that we have a strong and resilient economy?

Industry committee  We'll have to get back to you on the studies themselves, as I'm not familiar with any currently within my portfolio. We are offering loans and grants to apprentices. We have the Canada apprentice loan and we have numerous grants available to support apprentices. They are grants, so they don't have to be repaid.

Industry committee  Thank you very much for the question. That question is hard to answer, because it really depends on the occupation. For something like a physician, it might take longer and be more expensive to get their credentials recognized. It depends on so many factors, such as whether they have the right paperwork, how quickly the person wants to process it, how responsive they are, and then all the other administrative barriers.

Industry committee  We're looking at all kinds of solutions. There's no one solution to the skills and labour shortages that we have. That's why we need a suite of programs, programs that not only support those who are in the labour market now but also look at the next generation and also look outside the country for talent and skills and bring them into the labour market.

Industry committee  We'll have to get a written communication to follow up on that question.

Industry committee  Again, unfortunately, we'll have to get somebody to follow up on that answer.

Industry committee  Yes, there is an emphasis, as I mentioned previously. In budget 2021, there was $470 million that was invested over three years in a new apprenticeship service to help SMEs onboard and hire first-year apprentices. They can receive up to $5,000 for the first apprentice they hire and then an additional $5,000 if they hire from an equity-deserving group.

Industry committee  Yes.

Industry committee  I think that's part of what we're trying to do through programs like the sectoral workforce solutions program. It is to empower and enable employers to do more. Again, there is a concrete example. If we're making a transition to a low-carbon economy, do employers know all the details of what the changes are and how it's going to happen?