Nation building requires nation builders
By Lethbridge Herald on September 5, 2025.
Vincent Custode
Quoi Media
Canada is in the midst of a potentially transformative period that could reshape both its national identity and economy.
Recent threats by President Donald Trump transformed the political landscape, prompting a surge in patriotism and a growing desire for Canada to reduce its reliance on the United States, particularly with respect to trade and defense.
In response, a major cornerstone of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s election platform has been a commitment to building Canada’s trade and energy infrastructure. Since forming government, the Prime Minister has moved quickly, introducing Bill C-5 aimed at dismantling domestic trade barriers and granting the federal government expedited power to approve major industrial projects. The bill passed quickly through committee and the Senate.
The goal is clear: build out ports, pipelines, electrical grids and mines to boost economic activity at home and connect Canadian resources to global markets. But while the economic rationale is sound, a more immediate question threatens to derail the entire plan: who is going to build it?
Without a bold plan to attract, train and retain skilled trades talent, the government’s ambitious infrastructure projects are at risk.
Canada is already facing a severe shortage of skilled trades workers. In construction alone, we need to fill more than 380,000 positions by 2034 to keep pace with industry growth and retirements, a demand that is set to spike with emphasis on new housing, infrastructure upgrades and energy transition projects.
Construction electricians, welders and pipefitters will all be needed in large numbers. Without a workforce ready to deliver, even shovel-ready projects will get bogged down.
When looking for solutions, polytechnics and colleges are Canada’s best bet. These institutions train tens of thousands of skilled trades workers every year. Their programs are technical, hands-on and closely tied to industry needs.
But just as demand for trades training is surging, many post-secondary institutions are under threat from budget deficits, program closures and declining capacity. The timing couldn’t be worse.
Much attention has been paid to the impact of recent international student changes on the post-secondary sector, but the connection to domestic training capacity is often overlooked.
At the very moment Canada needs to expand skilled trades education, institutions are being forced to cut back. This is something the country cannot afford.
Recent promises to invest in technical equipment are a step in the right direction, but they are not enough. If we are serious about building the infrastructure that will define Canada’s future, we need to be equally serious about investing in the workforce that will make it possible. I propose the government consider the following:
First, federal infrastructure funding should support public institutions with the equipment and technology required to train Canadians for the modern labour market. In sectors like construction, manufacturing, energy and transportation, students must have opportunities to train on the same machinery and systems used in the field. Outfitting trades programs with welding simulators, electrical panels, heavy equipment and diagnostic tools can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Long-term, predictable federal funding, paired with flexibility on matching contributions, is essential to help polytechnics and colleges maintain up-to-date training environments that continue to align with evolving industry standards.
Second, introduce wage subsidies to support journeyperson trainers. Apprenticeship training relies on experienced tradespeople passing on their skills, yet retirements are accelerating and mentorship capacity is shrinking.
Expanding the Canadian Apprenticeship Service to include wage support for journeypersons who delay retirement to train others would help preserve institutional knowledge. Most employers cannot afford to retain senior workers in mentorship roles, and polytechnics are well positioned to deliver training for trainers.
Third, establish apprenticeship intermediaries to support employer participation and improve completion rates. The Canadian Apprenticeship Service focuses primarily on attracting new apprentices and subsidizing first-year employer training. Yet with nearly half of apprentices failing to become certified journeypersons, there is little support for progression and completion.
Other G7 countries fund intermediaries to coordinate apprenticeships, match employers with candidates, reduce administrative burdens and support apprentices facing barriers. A similar approach — delivered through post-secondary institutions, unions or non-profits — could fill a major gap in Canada’s system, particularly in trades with strong demand but low completion.
If Canada wants to build the infrastructure of tomorrow, it must start by building the workforce that can deliver it.
Vincent Custode is the Director of Policy at Polytechnics Canada, a national association of the country’s leading polytechnic institutions
©Quoi Media
23-22
this has become the real coming of age opportunity for canada. this is not to say i support unsustainable, reckless projects in the name of making money.
it is to say that canada has been led by followers, each in govt and at the upper echelons of the corporate element. we sucked the teat of britain, only to wean away into the backside of the usa.
we could, with only some short term sacrifice, look after ourselves and forge only win win trade scenarios with countries other than trumpland. we can produce whatever we truly need already, if we choose. we can trade for whatever extras we deem worthwhile.
however, what will surely stop any such approach are the habitual parasites in govt and business that are most focused on how to maintain power and easy money. our corporate elite stand to lose too much by wiping the uncle tom’s crap off their noses and setting upon a new path.