Statement by the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism

TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2013 /CNW/ - I was pleased to have a good dialogue with my provincial and territorial colleagues on the major challenge facing Canada's economy.

We agreed to continue discussing renewal of the Labour Market Agreements as one of many tools to help prepare Canadians for available jobs. I reiterated the federal government's openness to flexible approaches to deliver the proposed Canada Job Grant, the goal of which is to increase employer investment in job training, while ensuring that those who participate get a guaranteed job at the end of their training.

I encouraged all parties to work together on harmonizing apprenticeship training and certification requirements, such as the requirements for on-the-job hours and apprentice-journeymen ratios, and to find ways to improve completion rates.

Building on the significant progress achieved to date, I urged provinces and territories to continue to work with professional licensing bodies toward a one-year service standard for the assessment of foreign qualifications in targeted occupations under the Pan-Canadian Framework.

I also highlighted the need to improve labour market information and increase sharing of data among jurisdictions to help Canadians take better advantage of training, education and employment opportunities - particularly for our youth.

Given the importance to our economy of addressing the skills shortage in Canada, the Forum of Labour Market Ministers agreed to meet again in summer 2014 to continue work on these important labour market issues.

SOURCE: Employment and Social Development Canada