Ottawa calls for proposals under Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative

“That’s how we’re empowering communities to address labour challenges, drive innovation and create good paying jobs across the country.”

Boeing, Mastercard, SkipTheDishes, Cisco and Indeed among others, have all announced layoffs this year.

The Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative call for proposal is open to:

• not-for-profit organizations
• for-profit organizations if the nature and intent of the activity is:
  • non-commercial
  • not intended to generate profit
  • supports program priorities and objectives
• municipal governments
• Indigenous organizations or governments (Indigenous organizations may include, but are not limited to, incorporated for profit and not-for-profit Indigenous controlled organizations, Indigenous controlled unincorporated associations, Band Councils, Tribal Councils, and Indigenous self-government entities)
• educational institutions (universities, colleges, CÉGEPs, school boards/school districts).

What is Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative?

Eligible to apply for the initiative are those who can answer yes to the following questions:

• Did the mass layoff happen on or after April 1, 2024?
• Were 50 or more people laid off in one establishment within a four-week period?
• Was the layoff permanent (as per the definition above)?
• Was the layoff significant for the local economy?

According to the federal government, a mass layoff is defined by:

• 50 or more employees permanently laid off in one establishment in one community during a four-week period;
• significant job loss impact (as a proportion of the community’ s labour force); and
• challenging local labour market conditions, making it difficult for affected workers to transition to new jobs.

Ottawa first announced funding for the initiative in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement as additional support to existing federal, provincial and territorial programming to support Canadian workers. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has $30 million over two years (2024–2025 and 2025–2026) to support communities and workers affected by unforeseen economic events. The initiative is delivered through the Community Workforce Development Program. 

This initiative will complement existing federal, provincial, or territorial programs such as labour market transfer agreements and Employment Insurance that provide a range of supports to assist workers in the context of unforeseen economic events, according to the federal government.

Recently, the federal and Ontario governments launched the Labour Force Management Strategies Initiative, a $4-million investment funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).