Canada Job Grant / It is misleading say unions calling for new monies for it

Labour organizations, including the Ontario Federation of Labour, Unifor, and CUPE-Ontario are calling on the federal government to find new monies for the Canada Jobs Grant, instead of absorbing funds earmarked for crucial training and employment services.

The labour organizations are raising their concerns in advance of a November 8 meeting of Federal Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney and his provincial and territorial counterparts in Toronto.

On the agenda for the meeting is the future of the skills development, literacy training and labour adjustment programs provided under the Labour Market Agreements.

In the 2013-4 budget, the federal government proposed the Canada Job Grant, with funding diverted from the Labour Market Agreements, as opposed to new monies. Labour Market Agreement funding is provided to the provincial and territorial governments for training such as literacy and other skills to support vulnerable individuals not eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).

“The Canada Jobs Grant is misleading Canadians. Under the guise of addressing skills shortages, it will actually divert crucial funding for literacy training and skills upgrading away from vulnerable workers who need it the most – women, immigrants, young workers and older workers will be left out in the cold,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Sid Ryan.

“The Canada Job Grant program is part of a broader agenda that includes cuts to Employment Insurance, deferring Old Age Security benefits, and the exploitation of migrant workers,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. He said that the policy agenda panders to the needs of corporate Canada and is having the effect of driving down wages in Canada.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at 

via Labour groups call for Labour Market Partners Forum – Press Release – Digital Journal.