Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - April 2008
The housing industry has been amongst those hardest hit by the recent labour shortages in Canada. For years many in the construction sector have felt that the government has not been doing nearly enough to address the issue. At a recent industry gathering, hosted by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association in British Columbia, federal minister Monte Solberg defended his government’s actions.
Solberg is in charge of the human resources portfolio and is also head of Canada’s Mortgage and Housing Corp. He spoke at the gathering, addressing what has long been the top concern for builders across the nation, and in particular, Western Canada.
In defense of the government, Solberg cited recent policies that encourage more students in the skilled trades. The government has dedicated new funding toward easing the financial burden on these students.
Recognizing the importance of immigration as a solution, Solberg pointed to the recent dedication of $22 million over the next two years toward revamping and simplifying the immigration process, in order to “build on changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program that made it easier for employers to bring in skilled workers quickly to meet their needs.”
Lastly, the government has also been allocating funds directly to the housing industry. They seek to ease the pains of the shortage by establishing a $3 million construction labour market information program whose mandate will be to address the issue on a long-term basis.
John Hrynkow, president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, acknowledged the government’s progress on the issue, despite arriving a bit late in the game.
“This shortage came as no surprise to us,” Hrynkow said at industry conference. “The demographics were clear many years ago and we raised the alarm early on.”
The CHBA has been working directly with school boards for the past several years to encourage enrollment in skilled trades programs. The association has also been strongly lobbying for changes in immigration policies. The government is finally catching up to the industry but more will have to be done in the coming years as the baby boom workforce moves into retirement.
Source: Calgary Herald
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/newhomes/story.html?id=61f4ecb4-5972-46bf-96ac-6f535a2963ea&k=30597
