Liberals announce $258.6M fund for skilled worker training in critical sectors

For the second day in a row, the federal government is announcing plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to train more skilled workers in Canada.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is in her home riding of Thunder Bay today rolling out a plan to spend up to $258.6 million over the next five years to train workers in critical sectors, with annual funding of $50 million in the years to follow.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of a Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund a little over a year ago and the government opened applications for the program in August.

The fund aims to fill the gaps between workers’ skills and industry requirements in sectors like energy or critical minerals by funding projects that could speed up training or certification.

Hajdu’s announcement comes a day after Ottawa unveiled $430 million in spending to help unions and other organizations cover costs for new training facilities and equipment.

The Liberals have announced billions of dollars in spending to train up to 100,000 new skilled workers over the next half decade to support the government’s ambitious infrastructure agenda.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press