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The Government of Canada highlights workforce investments and measures to lower energy costs and reduce emissions

Employment and Social Development Canada
Friday at 11:49am ADT · October 16, 2026 5 min read

THUNDER BAY, ON, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — The world is changing rapidly, and Canada is choosing to build. Major projects across the country will strengthen our economy, diversify trade and create good jobs across the country. Delivering these projects and supporting continued economic growth will require a skilled workforce ready to meet growing demand.

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, while visiting Klimit Mechanical Ltd. in Ontario highlighted the landmark $2 billion investment over eight years announced by Prime Minister Carney to help Canadians reduce energy costs and improve home energy efficiency. The initiative will support up to one million home retrofits across the country, making homes and buildings more comfortable, affordable, and sustainable. Through the Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF), the Government is also building the skilled workforce needed to deliver this work.

Today, Minister Hajdu also announced an investment of up to $258.6 million over five years, with $50 million ongoing, through SWIF, which will help address critical skilled labour shortages through industry-led solutions aligned with federal priorities and industrial strategies.

The Government of Canada is looking for ambitious, industry-driven projects that respond to pressing workforce needs and deliver results for workers and employers. Projects should help key sectors and regions recruit, train and retain skilled workers, while helping Canadians build in-demand skills and access good, well-paying jobs.

The call for proposals under SWIF was launched on August 28, 2026. Organizations can submit project ideas through a continuous intake, with priority given to strong projects that bring together trainers and employers, and support federal priorities, industrial strategies, national projects and other pressing workforce needs.

SWIF is part of a broader approach to ensuring Canada has the people and skills needed to deliver on its economic ambitions. Alongside the six Workforce Alliances and other skills investments, the Fund will help connect workforce needs with the industries, projects and priorities driving Canada’s future growth.

The Fund will complement Team Canada Strong, an $8 billion investment to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2030-31 to help build Canada’s housing, infrastructure and defence priorities.

Across the country, the Government of Canada is building the infrastructure communities need for the decades ahead. As more homes, vehicles, and businesses run on electricity, Canada will need cleaner power and will need to use it efficiently. A retrofitted home supports both. It wastes less energy, costs families less, and produces fewer emissions. By retrofitting one million homes, Canada can reduce its emissions by over 25 megatons.

Getting this work done depends on a skilled workforce. Through SWIF, the Government is helping address immediate labour shortages, while Team Canada Strong is bringing more Canadians into the skilled trades for the long term. Together, these efforts are building the workforce to deliver retrofits across the country, as well as the major projects that will make Canada stronger.

Quotes

“Behind every major project and every retrofitted home are skilled workers. Through the Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund and Team Canada Strong, we are investing in training and supporting more of them, so that communities across the country have the people they need to get the work done. These investments will help families lower their energy costs, create good, well-paying jobs and give the next generation a path to a secure and prosperous future.”

– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

“Building a stronger Canada means making life more affordable for Canadians while cutting emissions and building a cleaner, more resilient economy. When we help families and homeowners make their homes more energy efficient, they use less energy, save more on their bills, and reduce the emissions that drive climate change. By taking full advantage of Canada’s clean electricity advantage, we can lower costs, cut pollution, and create a stronger economy for Canadians today and for generations to come.”

– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

Quick facts

  • SWIF supports targeted workforce investments tied to federal priorities, industrial strategies and major projects, as well as projects that respond to regional workforce needs. Priority will be given to projects that support federal missions and national projects.
  • Organizations interested in applying for funding through the SWIF are encouraged to visit Canada.ca for information on eligibility requirements and the application process.
  • SWIF complements the six Workforce Alliances, which bring together employers, unions, educational institutions, industry associations, Indigenous partners and groups who are under-represented in the labour force, to identify and advance sector-wide workforce priorities.
  • The National Heat Pump Rebate program will be available through an online portal, with no energy audits before or after installation. Approvals will be available within 24 hours, making it easier to get a replacement installed quickly when a system breaks without warning, which accounts for around 80% of replacements each year.
  • In May 2026, the Prime Minister launched Powering Canada Strong, Canada’s new national electricity strategy, which aims to double the capacity of Canada’s electricity grid by 2050 and supply clean, reliable, and affordable power across the country. The strategy also aims to connect Canada’s electricity grids, build the workforce needed for the electricity system of the future, and increase domestic production of the technologies and components needed to power it.
  • The strategy is expected to deliver up to $15 billion in total energy savings by 2050 and lower total energy costs for seven in 10 Canadian households.
  • In addition to $8 billion in Team Canada Strong funding, the Government of Canada provides nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through loans, project funding, tax credits and deductions, Employment Insurance benefits, and support for the Red Seal Program.

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

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