April 10, 2015– Truro, Nova Scotia – Employment and Social Development Canada
The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, today announced the renewal of the Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF) with permanent funding of $50 million per year starting in 2016.
The SPF encourages Aboriginal organizations to create partnerships with governments, businesses and community organizations to improve skills training and create jobs and opportunities for Aboriginal people. This partnership-based fund responds to the changing needs and priorities of the labour market, while providing opportunities for Aboriginal people to fully participate in Canada’s economy, including preparing for jobs.
Funding will be awarded through a competitive process and organizations can expect a call for proposals in 2015 for projects that will begin in April 2016.
Today’s announcement was made with the Native Council of Nova Scotia, which will receive $300,000 in SPF funding this year to help 20 Aboriginal people prepare for jobs in the oil and gas sector. While the SPF was originally set to expire March 31, 2015, the Government is providing $15 million of funding in the transition year (April 2015 to March 2016) for projects in priority sectors.
Today’s announcement is one example of what the Government is doing to help Canadians. To help hard-working families, the Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
Quick Facts
- Aboriginal youth are the fastest-growing demographic in Canada. These programs will help them fully realize their potential and meaningfully participate in Canada’s economy.
- To date, through around 80 SPF projects, over 6,300 Aboriginal people have found jobs with 8,000 to 10,000 clients expected to be working after they complete training in spring 2015.
Quotes
“ Our Government’s top priorities are creating jobs and opportunities for all Canadians. As demonstrated by today’s announcement, we are delivering on our commitment to help Aboriginal people get the skills and training they need to secure meaningful employment and build better futures for themselves and their families.”
– The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
“The Native Council of Nova Scotia and our Aboriginal client group are very pleased to hear of the extension year approved for the Building Aboriginal Skills for Employment Program (BASE). The BASE program will continue to assist our Aboriginal Peoples to gain employable skills to achieve long-term sustainable employment. Partnerships with industry made this a very successful program with great outcomes for our Peoples, and we look forward to the continued work with our new and existing industry partners.”
– Chief Grace Conrad, Native Council of Nova Scotia
Associated Links
Aboriginal Labour Market Programs
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