News Learning & Development
Trucking HR Canada gets $46.3 million in funding from Ottawa as sector faces labour shortage

Ottawa is providing up to $46.3 million in funding to Trucking Human Resources Canada under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.

And the help can’t come soon enough, with the Canadian Trucking Alliance forecasting a shortage of 55,000 workers by the end of this year.

Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra made the funding announcement this week on behalf of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister, Carla Qualtrough.

Trucking HR Canada’s Driving Economic Recovery project will provide training subsidies and wage subsidies to support the recruitment, training and onboarding of up to 1,400 new truck drivers and 1,200 workers for other in-demand occupations within the trucking sector, Ottawa said in a press release.

“The trucking and logistics sector supports every key economic sector and is critical to Canada’s economic success,” said Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada. “Expanding and building on the success of our Career ExpressWay program was a specific recommendation in the National Supply Chain Task Force Report. We are proud to see this important investment that will directly support industry employers in addressing labour shortages with the hardest-to-fill roles, while also connecting and preparing Canadians for well-paying jobs in our sector.”

This project will address inconsistencies in driver training by developing a national standard that will support transferable skills and bridge the gap between entry-level training and employability throughout Canada. Up to 2,600 participants — with an emphasis on women and other equity-deserving groups — will receive training, on-the-job work experience and other wraparound supports, such as travel and living expenses, to prepare them for a career in the trucking sector.

“Without truckers, groceries wouldn’t make it to the shelves of our local supermarkets and builders wouldn’t get the supplies they need,” said Qualtrough. “We’re investing in Trucking HR to make sure the industry can support truckers and the workers who help them by equipping them with the training and skills they need to meet the demand we know is there.”

First announced in the 2021 federal budget 2021, the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program is designed to help workers and employers by supporting solutions to address current and emerging workforce needs in key sectors, including:

• building talent for Canada’s clean economy;
• supporting the needs of workers and employers hardest hit by the pandemic; and
• addressing challenges faced by in-demand health care occupations.