Overview
- The federal government announced Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, that it will spend $880 million to fund paid on‑the‑job placements of up to four months for young Canadians beginning early next year.
- That $880 million comes from an $8‑billion skilled‑trades pool set aside in the spring economic update and is one element of a broader plan to expand the trades pipeline.
- Later this fall the government will pay a $5,000 bonus to people who earned a Red Seal certification since April 1, 2025, and will roll out a program to help small and medium businesses offer more apprenticeships with grants of up to $10,000.
- Ottawa also plans an Apprenticeship Training Grant that will top up in‑class training payments with about $400 a week starting in spring 2027 and is negotiating bilateral funding with provinces to boost pre‑apprenticeship training.
- A parallel federal labour‑code review found unions and employers sharply divided over government intervention; Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said Ottawa will not interfere with the right to strike but gave no timetable for any bill to change the Canada Labour Code.