Jobs and Growth Blog

Developing resources is vitally important to Canada’s economy. Under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, Responsible Resource Development (RRD) is streamlining the review process for major resource development projects. This increases employment, investments and prosperity for all Canadians.

RRD is ensuring more predictable and timely reviews, reducing duplication, strengthening environmental protection, and enhancing consultations with Aboriginal peoples.

Watch the video below to learn how RRD is making the regulatory regime more transparent and understandable, allowing Canadian businesses to seize opportunities and become more competitive in the world market.

The Major Projects Management Office page outlines how RRD is streamlining the review process for major resource development projects.

Click here to learn more about how RRD benefits Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, Responsible Resource Development (RRD) is creating opportunities for Canadians. Close to 1.6 million Canadians depend directly or indirectly on natural resources for their jobs—10 percent of all employment in Canada.

Natural resources are poised to play an even bigger role in our future. Over the next decade, more than 600 major resource projects, worth as much as $650 billion, are planned in communities across Canada.

Watch the video below and hear Buzz Hargrove, Executive Director of the Centre for Labour-Management Relations at Ryerson University, explain how RRD is putting Canadians to work and playing a huge role in our ability to provide public services.

Click here to find out more about how RRD is growing jobs and the economy while protecting the environment and benefitting Canadians.

Jobs in the skilled trades and technology are high-quality, well-paying and offer exciting careers for life. They can give you opportunities to advance to supervisory and management roles. You can even open your own business.

Whether you are entering the workforce for the first time, re-entering it, or changing careers, you should consider a skilled trade. The opportunities are endless!

And skilled trades and technology careers are important for Canada’s economy. Businesses in key sectors need skilled workers. Encouraging careers in the skilled trades is a win-win proposition!

This is why the Government and industry leaders are informing Canadians about job and training opportunities in skilled trades. The national, not-for-profit organization Skills Canada is hosting the 2013 Skills Canada National Competition June 5–8. This event brings together over 500 young people from all regions of Canada to compete in over 40 trade and technology areas.

Canada’s television personality and professional contractor Mike Holmes knows about the importance of Skills Canada. He encourages young Canadians to enter the building trades, and sees the benefits of embarking a career in the skilled trades.

Check out the many skills training initiatives and apprenticeship opportunities under Canada’s Economic Action Plan!

Skills training is a central element of the Economic Action Plan. Canada faces ongoing shortages of skilled tradespeople and other professionals like electricians, carpenters, engineers and more.

There are too many jobs that go unfilled in Canada because employers can’t find workers with the right skills. Meanwhile, there are still too many Canadians looking for work. Training in Canada is not sufficiently aligned to the skills employers need, or to the jobs that are actually available.

By connecting Canadians with available jobs, the Economic Action Plan supports individuals and their families no matter where they live. And by helping businesses in vital sectors find the talent they need, the Economic Action Plan positions Canada’s economy for long-term success.

Economic Action Plan 2013 helps Canadians obtain the skills and training they need to succeed in today’s economy by:

• Creating the Canada Job Grant.
• Creating opportunities for apprentices.
• Supporting job opportunities for all Canadians.

Visit our Skills page to learn more about the initiatives and programs that can help you acquire new skills, get additional training and find new job opportunities.

Under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, Canadians who are caregivers for family members with physical or mental impairments may qualify to receive an additional tax credit of up to $300 for an eligible dependent.

The Family Caregiver tax credit is a non-refundable credit on an amount of $2,000. Eligible caregivers can claim an enhanced (or an additional) amount under one of the following dependency-related credits: Spouse or Common-Law Partner Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Eligible Dependent Credit, the Caregiver Credit or the Infirm Dependant Credit.

Eligible dependents can be any age. Watch the video below to learn how you can claim the Family Caregiver Tax Credit and save up to $300 on your income tax.

The Medical Expense Tax Credit provides support for Canadian caregivers of dependent relatives. These caregivers can claim medical and disability-related costs for financially dependent relatives and spouses without the $10,000 limit that was formerly applied. This ensures that the tax system fully recognizes these expenses.

Get tax savings working for you! For more information, visit www.cra.gc.ca/taxsavings.

Volunteers make up an important part of Canada’s communities. This week is National Volunteer Week, honouring all those who serve their communities.

According to the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, almost 85,000 volunteer firefighters protect the lives and property of Canadians living in both urban and rural communities across Canada. The Government values and salutes the courage and commitment of these firefighters.

The Volunteer Firefighters' Tax Credit is available to any volunteer firefighter who serves at least 200 hours per year at one or more fire departments in their community. In 2011, more than 37,000 Canadian volunteer firefighters took advantage of this new tax credit.

Watch the video below to see if you are eligible to claim this tax credit on your 2012 return.

Click here to learn more about the Volunteer Firefighters' Tax Credit or visit
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/firefighter.

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How do you find the most energy efficient products on the market today?  Look for products highlighted as Energy Star’s Most Efficient 2013. 

To identify the “best of the best”, Energy Star has put in place recognition criteria to establish the most energy efficient products each year for select categories. Products that meet these criteria demonstrate efficiency performance that is truly exceptional.  

As with all Energy Star products, those meeting the Energy Star Most Efficient criteria are independently certified to save energy while delivering the features and functionality consumers expect.

This year’s lineup has expanded to 11 eligible product categories-some of which consume almost 50% less energy than their standard counterparts! 

For more information about Energy Star in Canada, click here. 

Visit our Energy Efficiency page to find out other ways you can save energy and money year-round.

For more information on Responsible Resource Development, click here.