Conservatives Will Require Banks To Recognize The Skilled Trades
Conservatives commit to restoring fairness for workers by expanding recognition of RESPs for training and apprenticeships, funding training halls and enabling trade workers to work across Canada.
Grimsby, ON – Today, Conservatives announced that they would deliver fairness for the skilled trades by requiring banks to recognize apprenticeships for Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Financial institutions that offer RESPs will be required to recognize all skilled trades and apprenticeship programs as eligible RESP programs, ensuring that all related expenses qualify for Education Assistance Payments.
This announcement builds on commitments to work with unions and workers to reverse the Lost Liberal Decade and get big projects built. Conservatives will ensure workers are protected by never introducing anti-union laws such as unfair disclosure requirements, ending card-check or right-to-work. Instead, we’ll promote the skilled trades by providing high schools with a trades toolkit outlining different types of trades and career paths and provide information on federal and provincial programs and incentives.
Conservatives will also boost funding for the UTIP program to help train 350,000 new workers over five years as carpenters, electricians, pipefitters and beyond. This expanded funding will also build more of the training halls where workers get trained by making capital costs eligible for funding. We will restore the apprenticeship grants the Liberals cut up to $4,000 and create a special class of rapid EI payouts to enable union training centres and colleges to pre-register skilled trades apprentices for EI.
We’ll enable workers to go further with their certification by working with provinces to harmonize health and safety regulations so trades workers can work anywhere in Canada. Health and safety training will be included in the Red Seal program and apprenticeships, providing all current and new Red Seal graduates with a portable accreditation.
For tradespersons travelling regularly for work, Conservatives will scrap the $4,000 cap on expense deductions, allowing workers to write off the full cost of food, transportation and accommodation. We’ll also increase eligibility so tradespersons who travel more than 120 km from their place of residence can receive the deductions, regardless of whether they require lodging.
After the Lost Liberal Decade of costs and crime up and our economy down under America’s thumb, we can’t afford a fourth Liberal term. We need a new Conservative government that puts Canada and our incredible workers first—For a Change.