Liberals Promise Skilled Trades Support, Tories Vow to Cut Red Tape, NDP Promises More Doctors

(L–R) Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick, Justin Tang, Jacques Boissinot

Liberal Leader Mark Carney promised more grants to those looking to get into the trades, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party would cut the red tape in Ottawa, and the NDP has pledged that every Canadian will have a doctor by 2030.

The promises were made as parties were in day 14 of the election campaign.

Carney made a stop in Toronto on April 5 to announce that his government would focus on training more workers for the trades.

“The next decades are going to be very busy for those in the skilled trades in Canada. We are not just going to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the skilled trades,” he said.

Carney said eligible apprenticeship applicants could qualify for up to $8,000 in grants, which would remove a “key financial barrier” for those wanting to enter the trades.

Less than a week ago, on March 31, the government ended the apprenticeship incentive grant, saying unemployed trades workers could rely on Empoyment Insurance and access $20,000 in interest-free loans to finish their training.

At the Toronto event, Carney also pledged to expand mobility for workers, creating what the Liberals are calling “one Canadian economy.”

“Our government has committed to remove all federal restrictions on mobility by Canada Day, free trade in Canada,” he told the crowd.

Carney also announced that those who travel for work will be able to claim more expenses, similar to an announcement the Conservatives made on March 29.

At that time, Poilievre said that if elected, his government would allow trades workers who travel further than 120 kilometres for a job to “write off the full cost” of food, transportation, and accommodation.

The write-offs are proposed in a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Chris Lewis in February 2022. It is currently being debated in the Senate.

Carney said a Liberal government would allow travelling workers to claim “more of their expenses,” but did not indicate how much.

The Liberal leader also said he would double the Union Training and Innovation Program from $25 million per year to $50 million, and work to increase the number of apprenticeship training spaces.

Conservatives to Cut Red Tape

During a campaign stop in Osoyoos, B.C., Poilievre said his party would cut 25 percent of red tape in Ottawa within two years.

“Red tape chokes ambition, drives up costs, and makes it easier for [U.S. President Donald] Trump to outcompete us,” he said.

“There are expensive and bureaucratic ways that involve lots of paper, and there are ways that you can do more efficiently,” he told the crowd.

“This will force the senior bureaucracy to constantly comb through the rules, get rid of unnecessary and useless regulations, and find the most efficient way to protect public safety and the environment.”

The Conservatives said they will also require that for every $1 in new administrative costs, $2 must be cut elsewhere.

To ensure the new rules were followed, Poilievre said he would pass a law that would require the auditor general to verify it was followed.

He said that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper permitted municipal projects to be approved with a one-page application.

“We completed 23,500 projects in two years without one public safety problem or one environmental problem identified by the environment commissioner.”

Poilievre said the Conservatives’ plan would make Canada “strong” and “self-reliant.”

“So we can stand on our own two feet and stand up to President Trump.”

He said the party’s plan to drop the capital gains tax on money that is reinvested in the Canadian economy would be “economic rocket fuel.”

NDP Commits to More Doctors

On April 5, the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh announced his party’s plan to boost the number of health care workers across the country.

“I believe that everyone in our country should be able to have a family doctor,” he said during a stop in St. John’s.

To do that, Singh said an NDP government would open up 1,000 more residency spots to speed up the number of doctors getting licensed. He said he also wanted to train more people to care for those in rural and northern communities.

To encourage provinces to participate in the plan, Singh said an NDP government would provide an additional 1 percent in the Canada Health Transfer.

Singh said his government would also reduce administrative work for health care professionals so they can have more time with patients.

He promised the plan would be in place by 2030.