NEWS RELEASE
April 19, 2023
Cambridge, ON — Additions to the 2023 federal budget in support of Canada’s skilled workforce will help counter the country’s construction and manufacturing labour shortage by encouraging more Canadians to enter thetrades, with an emphasis on the apprenticeship pathway.
Some of the highlights include:
A major increase to the Tradespeople’s Tool Deduction – A doubling of the maximum deduction for tool expenses from $500 to $1,000.
Union-based training – An investment of more than $200 million to the UnionTraining and Innovation Program that will help train 30,000-plus newapprentices and journeypersons.
Apprenticeship Service – Launched to help first-year apprentices in the construction and manufacturing Red Seal trades find work opportunities at small and medium-sized employers. The CLAC Apprenticeship Support Program (CASP) has benefitted from this funding, which to date has distributed more than $3.5 million to 312 companies that have hired new first-year apprentices.
“The programs reflected in the 2023 federal budget are positive steps to ensuring a prosperous future for Canada’s construction and manufacturing industries,” says Colin deRaaf, CLAC Ontario training director.“ Canada will need approximately 60,000 new skilled workers by 2025, and the programs and funding included in the budget will help support the millions of skilled tradespeople who build the infrastructure that keeps Canada moving.”
