Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council – Annual Report

Introduction

As the world grapples with mounting challenges and uncertainty, Canada’s way out must include pivoting its economy toward sustainable growth that creates resiliency, enduring prosperity and good, well-paying jobs. Sustainable growth means not only remaining committed to Canada’s long-term goals of a low-carbon economy and Indigenous reconciliation but finding ways to tackle the country’s immediate priorities, including global trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, energy insecurity, ongoing affordability challenges and the rise of artificial intelligence.

As the Government of Canada looks to build “a single, strong economy,” it must not lose sight of the long-term impact its decisions will have on individuals, communities and the environment. Smart, clean and inclusive growth will improve the federal government’s chances for success, and produce lasting benefits – including sustainable jobs, for generations to come.

Studies estimate that achieving net-zero emissions over the next 25 years could create significant new Canadian jobs, in everything from clean energy and greener buildings to new technologies such as carbon capture use and storage and low-carbon products such as steel and aluminum.

However, while such projections paint a promising picture, there is a flip side, involving real, and devastating, job losses in vulnerable sectors and communities. All of which demands that Canada be bold, innovative and ambitious in how it supports workers today and how it seizes the jobs of tomorrow:

• If we are going to accelerate infrastructure spending and major projects deemed to be in the national interest, then Canada must also fast-track a strategy to ensure it has the skilled labour needed to build these projects. It also must make sure it has qualified workers to fill the long-term jobs that will follow when the construction is completed, including skilled tradespeople, engineers, and various technicians.
• Since clean electricity will power much of tomorrow’s low-carbon economy, Canada must have a qualified workforce to grow our grids and keep the lights on – including engineers, the building trades and power-plant operators.
• While oil and gas production is expected to continue growing into the next decade – with fewer employees on company payrolls – Canada needs to keep encouraging the oil and gas industry to maximize technologies to reduce its carbon footprint. Moreover, Canada must do more to realize new opportunities and jobs in such areas as clean technologies and low-carbon products and processes.
• And, as artificial intelligence and the digital economy transform the very nature of work, we need to better equip Canadians with the necessary skills and tools to make the future work for them.

In other words, we need to keep planning for tomorrow’s economy, even as we are preoccupied with today’s challenges.

The Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council, an advisory body providing independent advice to the federal government, believes Canada can rise to this occasion. To do so, we need to be much more strategic in how we meet this moment. We have to build more of the critical infrastructure that supports a thriving economy. That includes better understanding where tomorrow’s skills gaps will be and developing a highly skilled and flexible workforce to fill them. Our sustainable future also requires a deepening of Indigenous ownership and participation, engaging youth and refining immigration strategies to attract the talent that will drive both our current and future economic success.

Summary Recommendations

This annual report by the Council reflects its members’ confidence in Canada’s ability to lead the global transformation to a low-carbon economy. Its recommendations, in turn, are based on the expertise and experience of the individual Council members who, while potentially representing a particular stakeholder group, are not speaking on behalf of their specific employer or organization. Finally, the report is also informed by the Council’s initial consultations with federal officials and other experts, as well as its first engagements with a cross-section of Canadians.

While the current Council is barely six months into its three-year mandate, it feels compelled to recommend immediate federal action in three key areas:

• Developing comprehensive industrial strategies to create the sustainable jobs that also get Canada to net-zero emissions within 25 years. These strategies should include innovative new ways to leverage private capital, invest in regional economies and support Indigenous ownership, equity positions and enhanced participation in new projects that drive clean growth and create sustainable jobs.
• Strengthening skills and training for both existing workers and new entrants to the Canadian workplace, including enhanced First Nation, Inuit and Métis capacity building. While national headlines have been dominated by recent job losses, Canada is facing future labour shortages that will come as hundreds of thousands of existing jobs currently sit vacant across the country.
• Prioritizing a people-centred approach toward creating and maintaining sustainable jobs for workers affected by the global transition to a low-carbon economy. This must include job standards that support decent work and good wages, as well as income support for workers transitioning to new careers and flexible options for early retirement, where applicable.

These recommendations will be expanded upon in greater detail and with specific measures later in this annual report. In addition, this annual report lays out some of the Council’s priorities and next steps for the coming year to advance these recommendations and address other existing gaps. These include:

• Filling in missing labour-market information and data;
• Identifying gaps in existing skills and job training;
• Reviewing and exploring the local impacts of climate change and the global transition to a low-carbon economy;
• Advancing First Nation, Inuit and Métis economic empowerment
• Mobilizing partnerships and alignment in the creation of sustainable jobs; and
• Fostering international cooperation.

Finally, this annual report includes the Council’s tentative plans for the next year to consult Canadians at various levels, from all walks of life, and in all parts of the country.

Respectfully submitted,

Council Members

Caroline Brouillette
Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada

Bea Bruske
President, Canadian Labour Congress

Kaella-Marie Earle
Emissions Engineer, Enbridge
Vice Chair, Indigenous Advisory Committee, Canada Energy Regulator

Keith Healey
Policy Development and Regulatory Specialist

Adam Hedayat
President, Hampco Enterprises Ltd.

Michelle Llambías Meunier (Co-Chair)
President and CEO, Conseil du patronat du Québec

Gavin McGarrigle
Western Regional Director, Unifor

Parand Meysami
Administrative Judge and Tribunal Member with expertise in energy, the environment and regulatory matters

Lionel Railton (Co-Chair)
Former Canadian Regional Director, International Union of Operating Engineers

Austin Zacharko
Energy Generation and Storage Specialist

Our Origins

When the world gathered in Paris 10 years ago to hammer out its historic new climate agreement, participating nations also acknowledged the need to support workers and communities that may be adversely affected by efforts to combat our changing climate. This included a recognition of “the imperative of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs” – all of which the Government of Canada now refers to as “sustainable jobs.”

As part of this commitment, the federal government published a discussion paper and invited interested Canadians to weigh in on its proposals – including plans for creating a sustainable jobs advisory board to guide federal decision-making and actions.

Respondents overwhelmingly endorsed the concept of an advisory board guided by social dialogue and the need to address gaps in existing federal efforts. This led to the creation of the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council as one of 10 action items in the Government of Canada’s interim Sustainable Jobs Plan for 2023-25.

The new Council was approved by Parliament with the passing of the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act in June 2024.

The terms of reference for a 13-member Council were subsequently published in February 2025 and the first 10 members – including two Co-Chairs – were appointed in February and March of 2025.

The Council met as a group for the first time in May of 2025 and held its first regular monthly meeting in July.

The Council has written to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources to request that its final three members be appointed, as prescribed in the Council’s terms of reference.

Where We Are Now

Less than 18 months after the passage of the federal legislation on sustainable jobs, Canada’s future looks dramatically different. While climate change remains the greatest challenge of our time and disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples and communities, other priorities are now consuming much of the nation’s attention and reshaping the way Canadians think about sustainable jobs:

• U.S. trade protectionism and tariffs have negatively impacted Canadian workers and communities and have ignited a new wave of Canadian patriotism not seen since the country’s Centennial celebrations in 1967. This, in turn, has fostered a Buy Canadian movement that can create new economic opportunities across the country.
• A new federal government has passed legislation to accelerate major resource projects deemed to be in the national interest and/or essential to diversifying the country’s trade. Again, this is opening new doors for tomorrow’s workforce, as well as creating potential new risks for communities and ecosystems affected by these projects.
• There is a growing need to refocus Canada’s immigration system to attract and support the workers needed to drive innovation in clean, sustainable growth.
• Artificial intelligence and its potential applications have exploded exponentially since ChatGPT first became a household word. Today, even leading AI experts can still only guess at how the new digital economy will ultimately transform Canada’s workplaces and the nature of work.

These new realities have affected Canada’s climate ambitions, including a federal government that now targets being “climate competitive.” Council members heard during their initial consultations that, while most Canadians still support the need to build a clean and inclusive economy, their priority is a secure job that allows them to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

The Council understands this evolving reality, but it maintains that the future does not have to be a choice between growing the economy or protecting the environment. The choice can be to create good, sustainable jobs in every sector of the economy and every region of the country.

What We Have Done

The Council has been meeting monthly as a group while also creating three advisory committees dedicated to planning its engagement activities, studying challenges unique to Indigenous peoples and preparing this annual report.

The Council has also been engaging with various experts, including senior officials in several federal departments, and meeting with key stakeholders. It is particularly grateful for the important logistical support and advice it has received from the Sustainable Jobs Secretariat at Natural Resources Canada.

Throughout its work and deliberations, the Council has been committed to using its resources efficiently and mindful of not duplicating other previous or current federal initiatives related to sustainable jobs.

The following reports summarize the work done to date by the Council’s Engagement and First Peoples advisory committees.

Committee Reports

Engagement Advisory Committee

The Engagement Advisory Committee was created to organize the Council’s first consultations in 2025 and to draft a comprehensive plan for meeting with a representative cross-section of Canadians in 2026.

Activities to Date

With limited time to begin its work, the Committee was able to organize one series of engagement sessions prior to the writing of this annual report. Those sessions were held over two days (October 20 and 21, 2025) in the Greater Toronto Area and southwestern Ontario. During these sessions, Council members met with workers and union representatives in the nuclear, forest, automotive and steel sectors, as well as human resource experts and industry leaders.

This annual report reflects what the Committee and Council members heard during their first engagement sessions and those public consultations played a significant role in informing the Council’s recommendations.

Ongoing Work

The Committee is finalizing its engagement plan for 2026 and will be proposing consultations in at least four regions of the country.

Bea Bruske
Chair, Engagement Advisory Committee

Adam Hedayat

Gavin McGarrigle

Parand Meysami

Austin Zacharko

First Peoples Advisory Committee

The First Peoples Advisory Committee (FPAC) was established to ensure Council’s consideration of the distinct challenges that Indigenous workers and communities face in relation to climate change and the global transition to a low-carbon future, as well as to recognize and learn from Indigenous leadership in clean energy, environmental stewardship, and resilience.

Activities to Date

Early activities have focused on advancing work on the Committee’s governing principles, operational processes, and priorities for research and engagement.

To ensure the Council is inclusive of all distinctions (First Nation, Inuit and Métis), the Committee has formally requested to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources that an Inuit Council member be appointed.

The Committee also selected Haisla Nation and the Kitimat region of British Columbia as the location for its first Indigenous-focused engagement (November 11-14, 2025). The engagement focused on Haisla Nation’s economic partnerships, job creation and workforce development opportunities related to the LNG Canada and Cedar LNG projects.

Council members also attended the Spark Indigenous Energy Summit in Calgary (November 5-6, 2025) to learn more about Indigenous energy leadership, participation, and workforce issues in the energy sector.

Ongoing Work

The First Peoples Advisory Committee is currently developing its formal research and engagement topic priorities for 2026 and beyond. To inform the identification of its priorities, the Committee developed a research concept. This research will advance a landscape scan of existing sustainable jobs-related recommendations from publicly available documents from Indigenous nations and key Indigenous subject-matter expert organizations.

The Committee is also collaborating with the Engagement Advisory Committee to ensure a robust Indigenous component in the Council’s engagement activities for 2026. This includes outlining principles for engagement with Indigenous participants; developing options for in-person formal engagements; and identifying additional virtual engagements with key experts, individuals and organizations that play leadership roles in the Indigenous low-carbon space. Engagement activities will be further informed by the broader topic priorities set by the Committee.

Kaella-Marie Earle, Chair
(Anishinaabe from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Aroland First Nation)

Austin Zacharko, Vice-Chair (member of the Métis Nation of Alberta)

Parand Meysami

Adam Hedayat

The Council’s Full Recommendations

1. Develop comprehensive industrial strategies to create the sustainable jobs that also get Canada to net-zero emissions within 25 years. These strategies should include innovative new ways to leverage private capital, invest in regional economies and support Indigenous ownership, equity positions and enhanced participation in new projects that drive clean growth and create sustainable jobs.

   While the Government of Canada did announce an “industrial strategy” in October 2025 to help key sectors hurt by recent American tariffs, as well as new investment tax credits and capital spending in Budget 2025 to spark at least $1 trillion in new infrastructure, Canada needs a more comprehensive, long-term approach. It needs overarching strategies for sustained economic growth that go hand in hand with environmental protection, workforce development, local and regional strengths, and Indigenous economic reconciliation.

   Among other things, a cohesive, cross-departmental strategy should re-shore and integrate domestic supply chains, prioritize domestic procurement (“Buy Canadian”), and align federal, provincial, municipal and industry actions across key sectors.

   In tandem with this, Council members recommend an industrial strategy that accelerates critical infrastructure projects that are the foundation for sustainable growth and jobs. These projects should include: a national grid powered by a doubling of existing sources of clean electricity; a renewed emphasis on energy efficiency and retrofits; a robust national network of charging stations and infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs); green public transit; and high-speed rail projects such as those long touted in Alberta and through the transportation corridor between Windsor, Ontario and Québec City.

   Finally, the industrial strategies should lay out – in practical detail – how the country will speed its production of the natural resources that are central to achieving net-zero emissions.

   The strategies should include investments and incentives for developing tomorrow’s clean technologies, many of which have yet to be commercialized or even invented.

   Among its specific recommendations, the Council urges the federal government to:

   • Develop long-term industrial strategies that link climate, energy, workforce and local, regional and Indigenous economic development objectives.
   • Ensure predictability and follow-through on transitional and industrial investments to address current job losses and build confidence among workers, employers, and investors.
   • Use public procurement as a primary tool to stimulate demand for Canadian-made, low-carbon products.
   • Develop a coordinated national procurement framework that aligns purchasing across jurisdictions and strengthens the resilience of domestic supply chains, and the sustainable jobs that come with them.
   • Provide predictable, long-term government purchasing to give employers the confidence to reinvest in modernization and decarbonization, including strong and enforceable guarantees for job creation.
   • Advance Indigenous oversight models (such as the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee^{Foot note iii iii} for the Trans Mountain Expansion project) to improve the environmental and regulatory performance of major resource projects, as well as increase Indigenous governance capacity, reduce risks to major projects, and strengthen economic participation for First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples.
   • Implement the UNDA Action Plan (2023), including the principle of free, prior and informed consent – as laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – to build a fair, inclusive and equitable society.
   • Implement the National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada (2022)^{Foot note iv iv} across the country by leveraging in-house expertise.
   • Continue to prioritize a distinctions-based approach, recognizing the uniqueness of First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.

   As identified below, in the What We Heard sections, we provide the following sector-specific recommendations for consideration:

   Nuclear

   • Recognize the nuclear industry as a strategic sector and invest in upskilling for workers transitioning to small modular reactors and CANDU refurbishment projects.
   • Create a unified and streamlined security clearance and credentialing system across federal agencies and industry partners.
   • Provide federal support for the digitization of employer and worker “dosing records” to minimize on-boarding bottlenecks for new employees.

   Forest

   • Deliver trade relief and loan guarantee programs faster to address ongoing tariff pressures that have the industry and its jobs on the verge of collapse.
   • Harmonize provincial credential recognition and expand training subsidies for workers in northern and remote communities.

   Steel

   • Prioritize Canadian steel in public procurement and infrastructure projects to stabilize the sector and drive decarbonization.
   • Develop a coordinated national industrial policy that links trade, energy, and workforce planning.

   Automotive/EVs

   • Maintain consistent and long-term EV incentives, infrastructure investments, and policy signals to attract and retain manufacturing capacity.

   What We Heard

   Council members were just about to meet laid-off workers and union representatives from the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario when General Motors confirmed – on Oct. 21, 2025 – that it was permanently halting the factory’s production of the Chevy BrightDrop electric delivery van.

   GM’s announcement was just the latest in a recent spate of bad news for Canada’s automotive sector, including Stellantis’ decision to move production of its Jeep Compass from Brampton, Ontario to the United States. Both automakers had received significant federal and provincial funding to retool their factories to produce electric vehicles and batteries.

   Workers and union officials in Ingersoll told the Council they believe the federal government could have done a better job protecting its investment in the CAMI Assembly plant by, among other things:

   • Investing more in a robust national network of charging stations and other key infrastructure to support a quicker adoption of EVs;
   • Introducing “Buy Canadian” policies and incentives timed to coincide with the start of the plant’s production in 2022;
   • Securing more ironclad commitments from GM.
   • Borrowing from what has worked well in other countries, such as Norway and the United Kingdom, which are further down the road with their EVs.

2. Strengthen skills and training for both existing workers and new entrants to the Canadian workforce, including enhanced First Nation, Inuit and Métis capacity building. While national headlines have been dominated by recent job losses, Canada is facing future labour shortages that will come as hundreds of thousands of existing jobs currently sit vacant across the country.

   It’s clear there will be no successful scale-up of national building plans without a parallel human-resources strategy.^{Foot note v iv}

   —Deloitte

   A new report from Deloitte^{Foot note vi vi}, released in October 2025, estimates that Canada will need as many as 520,000 new skilled trade workers within the next five years – just to meet the federal government’s ambitious goals for doubling new-home construction and accelerating new public infrastructure across the country. The figure jumps to almost 800,000 new workers over the next decade, based on expectations that 15% of workers in the country’s construction industry will retire in the next 10 years.

   The electricity sector is a case in point. The industry’s employment rate is projected to continue to outpace national job growth as demand for clean electricity is expected to more than double over the next 25 years. But, according to one recent survey by Electricity Human Resources Canada^{Foot note vii vii}, more than eight in 10 employers in the industry are already predicting they will have difficulty filling critical occupations by 2028. Looming retirements are a big part of this anticipated labour shortage, but so is the declining number of new apprentices registering in trades relevant to the electricity sector.

   At the same time, more than 450,000 jobs currently sit vacant in various sectors and regions across Canada – although this is an eight-year low – according to an October 30, 2025 report from Statistics Canada^{Foot note viii viii}.

   These inefficiencies in the labour market are a drag on the country’s overall growth, as well as its productivity and competitiveness. And the unfilled positions come as some 1.6 million Canadians are looking for work, including almost one in six young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

   The Council welcomes the significant new federal commitments in Budget 2025, including its plan to expand “learning, training and growth opportunities for young people” and “new pathways for careers in construction, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.”

   The government also can, and should, use its coordinating function with the provinces and territories to address projected labour shortages while filling existing job vacancies.

   For example, the Government of Canada commits approximately $3 billion annually toward skills training and employment supports —through the Labour Market Development Agreements and Workforce Development Agreements it signs with individual provinces and territories. Even a modest tweak toward sustainable employment, including a greater emphasis on “green skill funding,” could produce a more highly skilled, resilient and better-aligned labour force.

   In this same vein, the federal government must enhance the Employment Insurance (EI) system. This includes making permanent its recent temporary reforms, such as waiving the one-week waiting period, suspending the deduction of separation payments such as severance and vacation pay, and increasing the maximum weeks of benefits for long-tenured workers.

   As a policy brief released by the Institute for Research on Public Policy this year noted, “Workers are often reluctant to pursue training at their own cost unless it is linked to an employment opportunity.” Similarly, “training provided by employers is an integral part of the education and training ecosystem, but it is unlikely to build sufficient workforce resilience.”^{Foot note ix ix}

   Canada needs an EI system that is more responsive to individual and sectoral needs and circumstances.

   Finally, the federal government needs to support and empower local leadership in Indigenous, rural and remote communities, where accessing skills development and training is most difficult.

   Therefore, the Council recommends:

   • Strengthening coordination among employers, unions, all levels of government, including Indigenous governments, and training institutions to forecast labour needs and recruitment for industrial benefit plans to support local economies.
     • Better forecasting tools and models are a must as the federal government looks to launch a trillion dollars in new infrastructure spending across the country over the next five years.
     • Prioritizing local First Nation, Métis and Inuit labour will help to alleviate economic inequities and build skills capacities in those respective nations.
   • Enhancing collaboration between federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments to ensure existing second-career and retraining programs maximize new employment opportunities.
   • Increasing federal investment in upskilling, retraining, and work-integrated learning to align training with not only pressing current workforce needs but to address future employment needs.
   • Providing earlier access to training and income supports so workers can transition to new careers sooner.
   • Using its convening role to encourage the provinces and territories to follow the Government of Canada’s efforts to remove federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility. This includes developing national apprenticeship and credential-recognition frameworks and reducing duplication in training.
   • Encouraging provinces and territories to reinstate and modernize trades and technical education, including early exposure in high schools, promoting vocational pathways, and integrating more clean energy content into curricula.
   • Expanding access to flexible and inclusive training opportunities – particularly for Indigenous peoples, women, and remote learners – through targeted funding mechanisms, such as grants, bursaries and scholarships, and enhancing college capacity, online delivery, and childcare supports.
   • Removing barriers to and supporting Indigenous-led education and training programs from the primary to post-secondary levels, as well as providing mentorships and raising earlier awareness about career pathways.

   What We Heard

   In its initial consultations with workers – in the steel, automotive, nuclear and forest sectors – the Council heard repeatedly that governments need to do more to help unemployed and at-risk workers while better anticipating and addressing looming labour shortages. They talked about more investments in skills development and training, in transitional supports, and streamlined processes to enhance certifications and labour mobility.

   Each sector also faces unique challenges. The nuclear industry is a case in point. In a roundtable with 35 nuclear workers, participants noted that many high schools no longer provide vocational training in the trades and do not include nuclear content in science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. There is widespread concern that the nuclear industry’s future growth may be hampered by insufficient enrolment in the trades and nuclear-specific programs across the STEM disciplines.

   The Council heard that these issues are even more pronounced in Indigenous communities, and the workers recommended that awareness of career pathways in the trades start as early as the primary grades in Indigenous schools.

   Workers also told the Council they would like to see national certification programs to reduce interprovincial barriers, as well as measures to eliminate bottlenecks and duplication in the approval of security clearances. They said security clearances should be doubled from five years to 10 years.

   Representatives from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and the Canadian Nuclear Association confirmed that pinch points in the skill trades are anticipated, especially in project management and mid-career technical roles. They added that delays in security clearances and a fragmented approach to tracking employees’ annual radiation exposure – as they move from one site to another – are creating major onboarding issues.

   Industry representatives also said the processes for immigration-related clearances are slow and complex and, therefore, discouraging international hirings. OPG said it is trying to address many of these challenges through a team dedicated to determining workforce demand. The team is also working to build up knowledge, capacity and skills in Canada, particularly for small modular reactors. And OPG noted it is working with school boards to launch programs such as “Watts Next” to build earlier awareness about potential careers in the nuclear sector.

   On equity, inclusion and representation, industry officials acknowledge that access to childcare and shiftwork are barriers for women and caregivers entering the trades, and that Indigenous youth face early educational disadvantages and limited role models in nuclear careers.

3. Prioritize a people-centred approach toward creating and maintaining sustainable jobs for workers and communities affected by the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

   While “sustainable jobs” for a low-carbon economy are the end goal, getting there must include measures for ensuring that tomorrow’s workers will be earning a living wage in rewarding careers that allow them to plan confidently for their futures.

   A people-centred energy transition has the potential to improve the everyday lives of Canadians – boosting the economy, creating new jobs, improving health outcomes, and creating a better future for equity-deserving groups.^{Foot note x x}

   Pembina Institute

   For example, the Council is recommending that the Canada Labour Code be modernized to reflect the guiding principles of the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, including support for “the creation of decent work, meaning good-paying, high-quality jobs — including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union that has entered into a collective agreement — as well as job security, social protection and social dialogue.”

   The Council believes federal practices and standards that advance good and decent work will strengthen a Canadian workforce that is increasingly defined by low wages, precarious employment and gig jobs.

   Such federal efforts are most urgently needed in sectors with a high concentration of marginalized workers who face some of the lowest wages, the poorest working conditions and the fewest benefits.

   First Nation, Inuit and Métis workers would particularly benefit from this approach, as the Council expects them to be disproportionately impacted by major projects in energy and mining.

   The Council also wishes to emphasize the importance of championing sustainable approaches to close the well-being gap for First Nation, Inuit and Métis workers.

   In line with all this, Council members want to highlight other key guiding principles in the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, including a continued recognition of the importance of “regional and cultural strengths. .. and a sustainable environment that supports well-being.”

   As well, the Act states that a sustainable jobs approach should be

   inclusive and address barriers to employment. This includes an emphasis on encouraging the creation of employment opportunities for groups underrepresented in the labour market, including women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQI+ and other equity-seeking groups.

   To these ends, the Council applauds Budget 2025’s commitment to put workers at the heart of Canada’s economic strategy.

   Therefore, the Council urges the federal government to:

   • Update the Canada Labour Code to support “the creation of decent work, meaning good-paying, high-quality jobs – including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union that has entered into a collective agreement – as well as job security, social protection and social dialogue”; and in alignment with the National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada (2022).
   • Reaffirm the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act’s principles and the government’s commitment to them in its Sustainable Jobs Action Plan for 2026-2030.
   • Ensure federal funding programs and project labour agreements are consistent with the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act in terms of Indigenous and equity-based employment requirements.
   • Support resource management and invest in housing, education, healthcare, and childcare infrastructure that enables long-term, meaningful and sustainable participation in the workforce.
   • Pair industrial transition initiatives with sustained investment in community infrastructure and social supports such as childcare, mental health, and municipal services.
   • Strengthen partnerships with community organizations and labour-led action centres, including those that are Indigenous-led, to provide wraparound support for affected workers and families.
   • Explore innovative financial solutions to help workers manage trade-related economic disruptions – such as flexible mortgage arrangements, or temporary credit relief during layoff periods.

   What We Heard

   While in Ingersoll to meet with laid-off workers from the CAMI Assembly plant, Council members also spoke with two employees of the local United Way campaign. The United Way officials noted that in a small town like Ingersoll, contributions to their annual fundraising campaign and demand for the services the United Way supports are directly affected by the CAMI Assembly plant’s operations.

   For example, United Way donations dropped significantly during the plant’s retooling in 2021/22 and again when the plant began its temporary shutdown in May 2025. At these same times, reliance on the local food bank and demand for such things as financial counselling and mental health services spiked.

   Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie captured the CAMI Assembly plant’s outsized role in the community as he spoke to the media following GM’s announcement that it was permanently halting production in Ingersoll: "We're a small community. We're only 13,000 people. When it comes to the smaller businesses, the grocery stores, the coffee shops, everybody can feel when that plant's not running. My hope is that this is the bottom, and we can have brighter days ahead."

   The Council has also heard from employers and union officials alike who are particularly concerned about the growing mental health crisis in Canada’s workplaces. They spoke of increasingly higher rates of absenteeism and stress-related leave, and that additional mental health services – by competent service providers – are urgently needed.

   Workers from the CAMI Assembly plant also noted that even where quality mental health services are readily available, additional supports can still be needed at pivotal moments. They cited the example of when they were laid off while the while the CAMI Assembly plant was being retooled in 2021-22.

Next Steps

Navigating the existing and emerging challenges facing Canada will require a federal response that includes all Canadians. The Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council has identified six areas of work where it intends to focus its efforts to help ensure a made-in- Canada, people-centred approach to creating and maintaining tomorrow’s sustainable jobs:

• Labour market information and data – Sound decision-making requires sound information and data. The Council will spend the next year helping to fill in gaps in Canada’s existing data and exploring ways to improve access to timely, relevant labour-market insights to support effective public policy and action.
• Skills and training – As the Council begins its first full year of work, Members look forward to researching and consulting with a broad cross-section of Canadians to identify gaps to prepare and support the country’s workforce for tomorrow’s jobs. This will include determining current and future skills needs, and ensuring accessible, inclusive training opportunities.
• Local impacts – The Council will review and explore the impact of climate change and the global transition to a low-carbon economy on jobs in small, rural and remote communities.
• First Nation, Inuit and Métis economic empowerment – The Council will study ways to advance an enhanced approach to economic partnerships and sustainable jobs with First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples and Indigenous collectives.
• Partner mobilization and alignment – The Council, through its mandate for social dialogue, is ideally placed to engage and align partners and rightsholders to encourage coordinated action.
• International cooperation – The Council’s mandate includes an international component because the challenges before us are beyond the ability of any one country to address. The Council will connect with other similar advisory bodies, study existing global approaches and best practices, and engage in ongoing conversations to develop a more structured framework for fostering international cooperation and collective action to create sustainable jobs.