Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

The committee met on committee business to hear from Parm Bains, sponsor of Bill C-266, an act to establish a national framework respecting skilled trades and labour mobility. Bains, a former aircraft maintenance engineer, said the bill would formalize federal work harmonizing credential recognition across provinces and territories, adding accountability and reporting requirements, and complement the government's skilled trades strategy. He cited support from Polytechnics Canada, the B.C. Aviation Council and BCIT, and said unions including CUPE and Unifor backed it while warning mobility must not lower wages, safety or training standards. Questioned by Garnett Genuis, Bains said the bill gives the government new authority to address internal trade barriers but could not identify the section granting it, offering to provide that in writing; he confirmed the bill sets no consequences if a minister misses its timelines, and agreed the minister could create a framework without the bill but said the bill formalizes the work.

Bloc member Andréanne Larouche said Quebec's labour minister, Jean Boulet, opposed the bill as an encroachment on exclusive provincial jurisdiction over training and trades regulation, and that Quebec wanted an unconditional transfer of announced training funds; Bains rejected the encroachment characterization, calling it consultation. Louis Villeneuve, Natilien Joseph and Annie Koutrakis asked about current mobility obstacles and federal gaps; Bains cited recertification costs of up to $5,000 and delays of a year to 18 months, and said French-language and health and safety information must be respected. Rosemarie Falk asked why legislation was needed now and why another nine-month consultation was required; David Bexte raised measurability and unintended consequences; Caroline Desrochers and Gurbux Saini asked about worker experiences. Bains said the goal was harmonizing to the highest standard, not uniformity or a race to the bottom.

The committee then discussed scheduling. Genuis proposed two witness meetings in the sitting week of October 6 and 8, followed on October 20 by an hour of officials' questions and clause-by-clause the same day. Members agreed to a deadline at the end of November for completing studies, with flexibility to extend if other legislation took priority. No decision on the bill itself was recorded.