As the global trade landscape shifts, Alberta and Canada are focused on what can be controlled: building a stronger, more resilient economy. This calls for decisive action from governments at all levels to protect jobs, strengthen local economies and ensure workers are equipped to seize emerging opportunities.
Workers in sectors facing global tariff pressures will receive support to help them adapt, retrain and seize new opportunities as a result of a partnership agreement announced today by the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario)[E[1] , and the Honourable Joseph Schow, Alberta's Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration.
Specifically, $68.5 million over three years will be invested through the new Canada-Alberta Workforce Tariff Response to support workers and employers in the steel and softwood lumber sectors, as well as other directly and indirectly tariff-affected sectors. This new funding will help more than 7,800 workers in Alberta build new skills and transition into the in-demand jobs being created by Alberta's strong economic growth and significant major project demand.
Skills training and employment services will be delivered through Alberta's network of employment and training service providers, coordinating directly with impacted employers and sector partners to ensure timely, local and personalized support for workers who may benefit from retraining or employment assistance as they transition into new opportunities, including:
- unemployed workers seeking to gain new skills for in-demand jobs;
- workers whose employers are participating in Work-Sharing agreements, so that they may upskill or retrain as these industries adapt; and
- employed workers seeking new skills to improve their resiliency within companies directly affected by tariffs and global market shifts or their supply chains, or within communities that rely heavily on those companies, such as single-industry communities.
Implementation of the partnership agreement will leverage Alberta's full suite of existing workforce programs alongside new and enhanced supports, and will benefit from the input of labour and business representatives. Coordinating directly with impacted businesses to protect jobs and strengthening data‑sharing will give tariff‑affected workers and those in Work‑Sharing agreements opportunities to upskill and retrain.
This approach reflects Alberta and Canada's shared commitment to supporting workers through economic transition, while building a strong, confident workforce equipped to navigate global uncertainty and keep industries competitive on the world stage.
