Renewal of Canada-Quebec Labour Market Agreement

March 2014POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 05-14RENEWAL OF CANADA-QUEBEC LABOUR MARKET AGREEMENTThe Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney announced that an agreement to renew the Canada-Quebec Labour Market Agreement has been finalized. The agreement reflects the views of the Quebec government and labour organizations who met with Minister Kenney during extensive consultations across the province. Through these consultations, it became clear that Quebec already has a long-standing, well-functioning system that puts employers at its centre and requires them to invest in training. The highly structured system includes:• A formal collaboration body, the Commission des partenaires du marche' du travail, which provides a central role in training decisions and labour market training investments for key labour market stakeholders, including business, education and labour, to help match skills training with labour market needs;• Legislation that requires employers to invest on training; and• The Workforce Skills Development and Recognition Fund, a dedicated training fund sourced from employer contributions and managed by employers and other labour market partners to support employer-based training with focus on small and medium-sized...