British Columbia Finance Minister Brenda Bailey welcomed Ottawa’s investments in skilled trades in its spring economic update.
The federal government’s financial update, released Tuesday, outlines a plan to recruit up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2031.
That includes $2 billion over five years for paid entry-level placements for youth to gain experience leading into apprenticeship, plus $262 million per year in ongoing funding.
A new program would also provide wage subsidies to employers of up to $10,000 for an apprentice’s first-year salary, and an apprenticeship training grant would offer trainees $400 per week during in-class technical training.
Ottawa said another $331 million would go toward modernizing and streamlining the Red Seal Program, which sets common standards for trades across Canada. Workers would get a $5,000 bonus for completing a Red Seal certification.
The federal government estimates Canada will need more than 1.4 million more trades workers by 2033. It said in 2024, only about a third of the 100,000 registered apprentices finished their apprenticeship, often due to financial pressures.
Bailey said the B.C. government was happy to see the additional investments in skilled trades, including the incentives for employers.
“That aligns very nicely with the funding that we’re providing for skilled trades, so I see them fitting very well together,” said Bailey.
She also highlighted the $145 million included in the spring update for security funding related to the FIFA World Cup events in Vancouver and Toronto this June and July.
“We look forward to an announcement on how that will break down, and what’s coming to British Columbia. That will be coming soon,” she said.
She said the province will provide updated details on B.C.’s contribution to FIFA security funding soon.
Bailey noted the spring economic update also directs more funding to address threats to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population off B.C.’s coast. The budget update said that will include $95 million over five years and $16.5 million ongoing for Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard.
B.C. Conservative critic for jobs, economic development, and innovation, Gavin Dew, welcomed the federal funding for trades as a way to tackle youth unemployment.
“We remain very concerned at stubbornly high youth unemployment in B.C., and we have not seen a clear strategy from this [B.C.] government to address youth unemployment,” said Dew.
Statistics Canada’s latest jobs report showed B.C.’s unemployment rate among youth aged 15-24 climbed to 15.6 per cent last month. That was up 2.3 per cent compared to March 2025.
Across Canada, the youth unemployment rate was steady at 13.8 per cent in March.
