Helping Canadian workers impacted by layoffs reskill and find work
March 19, 2025 (Gatineau, Quebec) Employment and Social Development Canada
Canada is home to a proud, adaptable and robust social safety net. The Government of Canada has worked with local and sectoral partners to implement measures that expand that net to support even more workers, keep more communities and towns resilient and bridge more impacted Canadians and their families to new opportunities.
Today, we are adding to that body of work.
The Minister of Jobs and Families, Steven MacKinnon, today announced an investment of almost $5 million for four community-based projects under the Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative.
Three projects in British Columbia, and one in Yukon, will help bolster community resilience by complementing existing programs and services to help displaced workers transition into new jobs. These projects will support workers and communities affected by layoffs in the forestry and mining sectors.
The Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative is a $50 million initiative for projects that bring together community-based organizations, providing new skills training opportunities for workers. It is part of the Government’s response to significant job losses impacting a community and provides funding to address exceptional situations.
The Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative call for proposals is accepting applications. Interested organizations can apply by first submitting an expression of interest. Organizations that meet the criteria in the expression of interest will be invited to submit a full application. For more information, consult the Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative webpage.