Rishi Sharma

Thank you, British Columbia. Tonight, you voted for change. You voted for a government that will listen, keep life affordable, and never take your hard-earned money for granted. I want to thank every volunteer who knocked on doors, made calls, and put up signs in the rain. I want to thank our candidates, who stepped forward in a snap election with no time to spare. And I want to thank my wife Shelley and my family for standing beside me every step of the way. To those who didn’t vote for us: I will work just as hard for you. This is your government too. The work starts now. Let’s get to it.

Are you getting your Red Seal certification? You could be eligible for a $5,000 bonus. The bonus will be retroactive to those certified on or after April 1, 2025. Applications launch on November 16, 2026. More: canada.ca/en/employment-soci… #SkilledTrades

Great to meet with Saanich Mayor-elect Rishi Sharma yesterday. Congratulations on your election, Rishi, and I look forward to working with you to deliver for the people of Saanich.

En 2024, plus de 100 000 nouveaux apprentis se sont inscrits à un programme d’apprentissage, mais seulement environ 34 000 d’entre eux l’ont terminé. Il est temps que ça change.   Dans le cadre de l’initiative Une Équipe Canada forte, nous fournissons aux apprentis un supplément de revenu de 400 dollars par semaine pendant leur formation et offrons une prime à la réussite de 5 000 dollars à ceux qui obtiennent une certification Sceau rouge. Ainsi, un plus grand nombre de jeunes Canadiennes et Canadiens pourront suivre une formation et intégrer plus rapidement le marché du travail.

Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu recently discussed new federal supports for skilled trades apprentices that were previously announced in the Spring Economic Update under the $6 billion Team Canada Strong program. Key measures include: ✅Training support: $400 per week during apprenticeship training, up to $16,000 total. ✅ Completion bonus: one-time payment of $5,000 for apprentices who complete their program. ✅ Retroactivity: the $5,000 completion bonus will be retroactive to May 2025 to ensure those who missed the previous grant opportunity can access the payment. These measures are intended to strengthen the pipeline of journeypersons and reduce financial barriers to trades training. Further implementation details and eligibility criteria will be shared as rollout information becomes available. Watch the segment, here: youtu.be/EDPFLfoKyQA?si=HGcC…

FCM is in Charlottetown this week meeting with Canada's Premiers as part of the Council of the Federation meetings. Premiers and municipal leaders agree that scaling up investment in local infrastructure is essential to delivering on our shared goals to build more housing, increase economic development, diversify trade and make Canada more secure and resilient. In response to the latest U.S. tariff threats, FCM is redoubling our efforts to engage with our US counterpart municipal associations to drive the message that free and fair trade benefits local communities on both sides of the border.

274,100 workers are expected to retire over the next decade. • 135,000 residential workers • 139,100 non-residential workers Replacing that experience will remain one of the industry's biggest workforce challenges.