Liberals move forward to support Canadian workers and businesses

September 2, 2021

Trois-Rivières, Québec – A re-elected Liberal government would move forward to support more Canadians in joining or remaining in the workforce.

Workers are the backbone of our economy. Since the onset of the pandemic, Canadian workers and businesses have had a tough time, and many businesses are still struggling to hire employees. To move forward and recover from the pandemic, we must bring more Canadians into the workforce by addressing barriers they face to employment and in turn, support businesses to hire employees and grow their operations.

“Addressing the labour shortage starts with supporting our workers,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal candidate for St-Maurice-Champlain. “Here in Quebec, the labour shortage is real, with 1.2 million jobs needing to be filled over the next decade. By addressing barriers some Canadians face to employment such as accessible training opportunities and incentivizing seniors to stay in the workforce longer, we can help businesses hire the employees they need to grow and succeed.”

A re-elected Liberal government will make life more fair and grow Canada’s workforce by:

  • Moving forward with a benefit of up to $1,400 for a million more low-income workers, keeping more money in their pockets as an incentive to work;
  • Putting $1,650 back in the pockets of eligible seniors who choose to remain in the workforce past age 65;
  • Moving forward with creating an additional 37,000 affordable child care spaces in Quebec, which increases workforce participation of women in particular;
  • Moving forward with a responsible increase to Canada’s immigration levels; and
  • Helping workers access well-paying careers by increasing training and apprenticeship opportunities and making them more accessible.

This builds on the work the Liberals have already done to support workers and businesses throughout the pandemic:

  • Providing Canadians with $500 a week so they could continue paying their bills and putting food on the table;
  • Protecting over 5 million jobs with the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy;
  • Helping over 150,000 organizations pay their rent, mortgage, and other expenses;
  • Providing additional support to businesses that were forced to close due to public health guidelines; and
  • Supporting Canada’s hardest-hit industries, including the tourism and hospitality sectors, with low-interest loans.

“Through the pandemic, the Liberal government had the backs of Canadian workers and businesses,” said Martin Francoeur, Liberal Candidate for Trois-Rivières. “We can’t let Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives slow down the green economic recovery that is already underway and take us backwards with cuts to services. We need to grow our workforce and keep moving Canada forward – for everyone.”

Backgrounder: Fairness for workers and addressing labour shortage

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