For businesses that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, hiring the workers they need to grow is a cost they may worry about taking on. The federal government wants these businesses to be able to recover and grow by hiring more people.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government acted swiftly to protect Canadians and support people and businesses. To help ensure a strong recovery, it has adapted and extended this support as the pandemic has evolved.

Due to overnight closures of the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is recommending commercial drivers and travellers entering or exiting Canada use either the Thousand Islands Bridge or the Seaway International Bridge.

Members of the media are invited to attend an important virtual infrastructure event with Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable John Yakabuski, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Member of Provincial Parliament for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; Ron Vandewal, Warden, Frontenac County; and His Worship Denis Doyle, Mayor of Frontenac Islands.

The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr. will make a virtual electric vehicle infrastructure announcement.

A strong and vibrant women’s movement is part of the foundation of a more inclusive Canada, where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. The Government of Canada continues to support women’s and equality-seeking organizations to ensure women are given the opportunity to fully participate in Canada’s social, economic and democratic life.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement today in response to the Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) report on Peer support for Veterans who have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma.

The Government of Canada provided an update on COVID-19 and Indigenous communities. 687 First Nations, Inuit and territorial communities are rolling out vaccines, and more than 508,800 doses have been administered.

Today, the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister and Special Representative for the Prairies, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Prasad Panda, Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure, announced funding for 362 infrastructure projects that will repair and upgrade housing for seniors and families with low income in 95 communities across the province. They were accompanied at the announcement by the Honourable Deb Schulte, Minister of Seniors; The Honourable Josephine Pon, Alberta’s Minister of Seniors; and Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary.

Statement from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health on Implementing COVID-19 Vaccination in Canada.

Today, Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Halifax, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Iain Rankin, Premier of Nova Scotia, announced funding to improve schools within eight Nova Scotia Centres for Education. The Honourable Derek Mombourquette, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Sydney—Whitney Pier, Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney—Victoria, Mike Kelloway, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso, and Rafah DiCostanzo, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Clayton Park West, were also in attendance.

Joint federal and provincial funding through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan will support school improvement projects across the province.

On June 2, 2021, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, issued the following statement on COVID-19.

Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt will participate in a virtual FedNor announcement on Thursday, June 3, 2021. The announcement will be made on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor, in support of Francophone organizations, businesses and communities.

Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines on behalf of the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard announced today the completion of the Port Dalhousie Piers rehabilitation project.

The Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario and His Worship, John Tory, Mayor of the City of Toronto will announce support for the growth of underrepresented talent in the tech and innovation sectors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Canadian workers, but some groups – including women – have been disproportionately affected and their economic recovery has been slower. The Government of Canada recognizes that a robust and inclusive recovery is necessarily a feminist recovery as well and that supports such as child care are critical to achieving that goal. Investing in new training and employment supports for women, with a focus on removing barriers to accessibility and inclusion, will ensure that no one is left further behind and that everyone takes part in Canada’s economic recovery.

The Women’s Employment Readiness (WER) pilot program was announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and aims to strengthen training supports for those most affected by the pandemic. This pilot program will fund organizations to provide and test pre-employment and training supports for women. It will also include working with employers to reduce barriers to employing women.

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada highlighted $760.8 million in funding proposed in Budget 2021, a portion of which will be allocated through the needs-based funding request process that just reopened.

Today, the Department of National Defence (DND) released the 2020 Report on Suicide Mortality in the Canadian Armed Forces. The findings from this report helps National Defence better understand suicide in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and further refine our ongoing suicide prevention efforts.

In recent weeks, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) have seen significant activity. Provinces across the country have been actively issuing invitations to apply for nomination to a wide range of foreign workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs. Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec and Nunavut, operate their own Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). Each province adopts its own […]

The post An overview of Canada’s PNP immigration results for May 2021 first appeared on CIC News.

Canada is paving the way for its participation in humanity's return to the Moon. Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced Canada's intent to enter into a contract with Brampton-based company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) to design, manufacture, test, and deliver robotics interfaces that will allow Canadarm3 to operate on the Lunar Gateway.

Thanks to a total investment of $34.8 million—made as part of Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed that was announced on March 22—4,340 households in the Haut-Saint-François RCM and the Val-Saint-François RCM will have access to Cogeco high-speed Internet services by September 2022.

Manitoba invited 404 Express Entry candidates in a new round of invitations, in an unusual draw held May 27. The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) Express Entry candidates who may be eligible for the Skilled Workers Overseas stream. Invited candidates needed to have a minimum Expression of Interest (EOI) score of 601 in order to be […]

The post Manitoba invites 404 Express Entry candidates in new PNP draw first appeared on CIC News.

In past years, the month of June has been filled with celebrations and ceremonies that invited all Canadians to learn about the language, culture and history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people. These in-person events will be greatly missed again in 2021 as we continue to respect public health guidelines and commemorate virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, as with any other, we are encouraging everyone in Canada to engage with Indigenous-created or Indigenous-led information and activities online or by getting involved in the many virtual opportunities to celebrate First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures.