Statement by Colleges Ontario on Prime Minister Carney’s tariff response announcement: Colleges key to Canada’s economic future

Colleges key to Canada’s economic future

Prime Minister Mark Carney today announced new measures to support Canadian industries and workers affected by the ongoing trade dispute with the United States, including reskilling and employment supports.

Ontario’s colleges welcome federal leadership and the focus on economic resilience through retaining, upskilling and increased investments through Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs) with provinces and territories. With a long history of partnering with local employers, Ontario’s colleges are leaders reskilling to ensure that local labour markets have the graduates and workers they need. Ontario’s public colleges currently train nearly half of the province’s manufacturing, nuclear, utilities and mining workforce, have more than 15,000 nursing students enrolled and deliver over 80 per cent of in-class apprenticeship training each year.

The federal government’s recognition of eCampusOntario in today’s announcement underscores the leadership role that Ontario’s colleges already play in digital learning and micro-credentials. Through initiatives like the Micro-Credentials Portal and the new national Skills for Jobs Canada platform, colleges are connecting Canadians to rapid training opportunities that align with labour market needs. This work shows how Ontario’s colleges are indispensable partners in building a resilient and adaptive workforce.

During times of economic downturn, public colleges are central to delivering upskilling and retraining. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Ontario’s colleges were a key partner in the provincial government’s Better Jobs Ontario program, training 45,000 people to enter or re-enter the labour market.

In Colleges Ontario’s 2025 federal pre-budget submission, we emphasized the need for federal guardrails to ensure colleges can access workforce development funds from LDMAs directly, without being delayed or sidelined by jurisdictional barriers. With an additional $450 million of federal investments to the provinces to train and upskill up to 50,000 workers on the table, these guardrails are more important than ever to make sure training dollars flow quickly to colleges, communities and the people that need them.

Ontario colleges stand ready to expand training and applied research in partnership with government and industry, but sustainable funding is urgently required. Revenues across the college system have already dropped by 30 per cent — a $2.6-billion decline since 2023-24 — and program suspensions are increasing across the province.

We look forward to continued collaboration with federal and provincial partners to ensure today’s measures are matched with investments in the education and training system that builds Canada’s workforce.
🔗 Read our 2025 pre-budget submission