Presented several days ago by Jim Flaherty, the federal budget puts the emphasis on manpower training. According to the Minister of Finance, this should be better targeted to meet the needs of businesses.
The manpower shortage has been a recurring problem for several years in Canada. To remedy it, the federal government has decided to make manpower training one of its priorities in its 2013-2014 budget. The Conservatives are not posing their conditions to the provincial governments. To obtain the amounts paid by Ottawa, the provinces will have to adjust their programs. Of the $500 million package, $300 million will be paid if there is a direct link between the training given to employees and the needs of the business. This part of the subsidy will be a new program in which private employers will find themselves more involved. Practically speaking, a Canadian can benefit from a grant of $15,000 for their training. The federal government will then pay $5,000, as will the provincial government and the employer.
Quebec reacts
But when the program was announced (which should come into effect in 2014), the Quebec government firmly registered its disagreement. The day after the budget was presented, the Quebec Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity demanded that the province be excluded from this new way of doing things.