Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (the Department or
HRSDC) does not have a program that is specifically dedicated to skills
development in northern remote areas. However, it has a number of programs in
the “learning” area, which could be used by everyone, including people living
in northern remote areas. Another area of programming includes programs
targeted toward Aboriginal Peoples.
This program supports formal, national partnerships of businesses
and other key stakeholders that address issues of human resources investment
and workplace skills development on a sectoral basis. Contribution payments
primarily support demand-driven research and project-based activities proposed
by Sector Councils and other national organizations (sector council-like)
working on skills and learning issues. The main target groups of this program
are businesses, workers, and learning institutions.[2]
As a result of its recent wide-ranging strategic review, the
Government of Canada has decided on changes to the funding of HRSDC’s Sector
Council Program. Those changes will have an impact on all sector councils,
albeit in different ways. As of March 31, 2013, funding for “core” expenses
(i.e., expenses that are not related to a specific project) will come to
an end.[3]
Employment benefits and support measures (EBSMs) are intended to
help participants become more employable. Most EBSMs are offered by provinces
and territories under Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs). LMDAs funds
are transferred to the provinces and territories for the programs. All
provinces and territories now have transfer agreements in place.[4]
Employment benefits can include financial assistance or wage
subsidies and are provided through five programs: Skills Development, Targeted
Wage Subsidies, Self-Employment, Job Creation Partnerships and Targeted
Earnings Supplements. Support measures comprise Employment Assistant Services,
Labour Market Partnerships, and Research and Innovation.[5]
All EBSMs are available to claimants with active employment
insurance claims and those who have established a benefit period in the last
three years (or the last five years for maternity or parental benefit
claimants). Others can access employment services only, as well as services
provided under Labour Market Agreements (LMAs), which are in place with all of
the provinces and territories. The LMDAs provide $1.95 billion annually.[6] The LMAs provide $500
million per year in funding to provinces and territories, totalling $3 billion
between 2008-2009 and 2013-2014.[7]
The Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) encourages the
financing of children’s post-secondary education through savings, from early
childhood, in Registered Education Savings Plans. The CESP provides clients
with the Canada Education Savings Grant, which includes a regular matching
grant available to all Canadian children, and enhanced grant portions for low
and middle income families; and the Canada Learning Bond, which is a grant
intended for low income families.[8]
The Department delivers the Canada Education Savings Grant and the
Canada Learning Bond through a public-private partnership with banks, mutual
fund companies, and scholarship foundations. The Department also administers
the Education Savings Community Outreach initiative which funds organizations
to develop outreach projects that encourage lower income Canadians to save for
their children’s post-secondary education, use education savings, and increase
their financial literacy.[9]
Canada Student Grants help students and families manage the cost of
post-secondary education and are provided through a single program. Grants do
not need to be paid back. The Canada Student Grants are available to students
from most provinces and territories except the Northwest Territories, Nunavut
and Québec which operate their own student financial assistance programs. From
August 2010 to July 2011, $587 million were awarded to 310,445
students.[10]
In 2009-2010, the Canada Student Loans Program also provided $2.1
billion in loans to 402,000 full-time students and $4.6 million to 2,698
part-time students.[11]
This program increases access to apprenticeships in the designated
Red Seal trades, and encourages the progression of an apprentice through the
early years of their apprenticeship program, building momentum for completion
and Red Seal certification. The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) also
provides an incentive for Canadians to pursue apprenticeships to meet the
future need for skilled trades-people that is crucial to the sustained growth
of the economy, and improve labour mobility. The AIG helps first or second year/level
(or equivalent) apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade by funding a portion
of their expenses related to tuition, travel and tools.[12]
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) has four components: Canada
Summer Jobs, Career Focus, Skills Link, and the Federal Public Service Youth
Internship Program. Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment –
such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities,
recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas and high school
dropouts – obtain the knowledge and develop the broad range of skills and work
experience they need to participate in the job market. Skills Link offers a
range of programs and services that can be tailored to meet individual needs
and provide more intensive assistance over longer periods of time. YES is a
very important program to develop skills of youth in northern remote
communities. In 2010-2011, the federal government spent $275.1 million in
contribution payments through this strategy.[13]
The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS)
began on April 1, 2010 and will end in March 2015. This program replaced
the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy, which expired in
March 2010. ASETS’ goals are to ensure that First Nations, Inuit, and
Métis peoples secure meaningful employment in the Canadian labour market. ASETS
aims to improve labour market outcomes through supporting demand-driven skills
development, fostering partnerships with the private sector and provinces and
territories, and emphasizing increased accountability and results. This program
supports a network of over 80 Aboriginal service delivery organizations
that develop and deliver programs and services to help Aboriginal clients at
the local level to prepare for, obtain and maintain meaningful and sustainable
employment, assist Aboriginal youth to make successful transitions from school
to work or to support their return to school, and support child care programs.
Under this strategy Aboriginal Agreement Holders design and deliver employment
programs and services best suited to the unique needs of their clients.[14]
The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program is
a nationally-managed skills development program designed to promote greater
employment for Aboriginal Peoples on major economic initiatives through a
collaborative partnership approach. This program supports multi-year training
and employment strategies that are developed and managed by formalized
partnerships to train individuals for targeted jobs.[15]
Formalized partnerships including the private sector and Aboriginal
organizations, and others such as provincial governments and training
institutions, are responsible for jointly developing and managing
comprehensive, multi-year skills development (training-to-employment) plans
leading directly to targeted jobs. The plan must have a commitment from the
employers to provide at least 50 long-term jobs for Aboriginal Peoples. The
partnership must also make a significant financial contribution to the training
plan (at least 50%) and must develop a governance model that will manage and
oversee the activities of the project.[16]
The ASEP program was launched as an $85 million initiative in
2003-2009 that was expanded in 2007 with an additional $105 million, and
extended to 2012. Budget 2009 announced an additional $100 million
investment over three years beginning in 2009-2010 as part of Canada’s Economic
Action Plan.[17]
The Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF) shares the ASETS objective to
increase Aboriginal participation in the Canadian labour market, ensuring that
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are engaged in sustainable, meaningful
employment. The SPF is a separate, yet complementary program to ASETS. The SPF
supports projects that encourage innovation, partnerships and new approaches
for delivery of employment services. Aboriginal organizations may submit
proposals for funding through the application based process. The SPF will end
on March 31, 2015.[18]
The Education Program activity seeks to provide First Nations and
Inuit with the tools to achieve educational outcomes comparable to those of
other Canadians. Education programs support the provision of elementary and
secondary education services. These services include continuing the reforms of First
Nations education through a student success program and a partnership program.
The Education Program also provides special education services, financial supports
for First Nations (Status Indians) and Inuit to participate in post-secondary
education, as well as support to culture and education centres.[19] In its 2010–2011 Report
on Plans and Priorities, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
(AANDC) identified one of its priority areas as “Education: to Advance the
Reforming First Nations Education Initiative.”[20]
AANDC offers financial assistance to promote access to
post-secondary education among Inuit and First Nations students residing on or
off reserve. The Post-Secondary Student Support Program[21] (PSSSP) and the University College Entrance Preparation Program[22] provide assistance to
cover the cost of tuition, books, travel and living expenses, when applicable.
The Indian Studies Support Program[23] also provides financial support to post-secondary institutions for the
development and delivery of college or university level courses for First
Nations and Inuit students. These three programs are almost 100% administered
and delivered by First Nations bands whose councils define their own selection
criteria and policies. Status First Nations students[24] and Non-Status Aboriginal
students who are not eligible for assistance under the PSSSP can apply for
Canada Student Loans and associated provincial loans and grant programs.[25]
AANDC’s performance report for the years 2010–2011 indicates that
over $1,755.7 million was invested for program activity in education.[26] It should be noted that
funding for post-secondary education programs has been capped at 2% annual
growth since 1996.
Community Futures Program (CFP) is an ongoing national program,
administered by the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern
Ontario (FedNor) under Industry Canada (IC) and the other regional development
agencies: Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; Western
Economic Diversification; Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions; and
the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.[27]
The CFP program provides operating assistance and investment capital
to 258 Community Business Development Corporations (CBDCs) in Atlantic Canada
and parts of Québec, and Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in
other parts of Canada. These organizations in turn help support economic
development at the community level. With this support, CBDCs and CFDCs carry
out a mandate to provide repayable financing for local businesses; a variety of
business services for small and medium-sized enterprises and social
enterprises; strategic community planning and socio-economic development; and
support for community-based projects.[28]
Administered by FedNor, the Northern Ontario Development Program
(NODP) is an ongoing program created in 1987. The goal of the program is to
encourage economic growth, diversification, job creation and self-reliant
communities in Northern Ontario. To achieve these objectives, FedNor provides
financial support to viable projects led by businesses, municipalities, First
Nations, and other organizations and institutions. FedNor’s NODP also supports
youth internships in Northern Ontario. Since April 2006, FedNor has
approved more than $192 million in support of 1070 projects through the NODP.[29]
With regard to access to internet services, Budget 2009 provided
$225 million over three years for Industry Canada to develop and implement
a strategy to extend broadband coverage. The biggest component of this strategy
is Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians.[30]
Having access to broadband internet access is essential for remote rural
communities to be able to fully participate in today’s economy. “It enables
citizens, businesses and institutions to access information, services and
opportunities that could otherwise be out of reach.”[31]
The federal government also offers a series of non-refundable tax
credits for learning activities, such as deductions on the interest paid on
student loans, on tuition, education and textbook fees. There is also a
deduction which reduces taxable income for people living in a prescribed
northern or intermediate zone.[32]
Other departments or agencies have programs targeted at remote
rural communities. For example, the Canadian Northern Economic Development
Agency is responsible for the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic
Development (SINED), which includes the Targeted Investment Program, the
Innovation and Knowledge Fund, the Pan-Territorial Fund and the Partnership and
Advisory Forums. Funding for the SINED Program is at $95 million over five
years, from 2009 to 2014.[33]
Other economic development federal programs that focus on Canada’s
remote regions include the Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals ($100 million five-year
program) and the Aboriginal Capital Corporations program.[34]