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PM announces support for Helmets to Hardhats program
Ladies and gentlemen, among the milestones in our history are places that are synonymous with excellence, courage, and sacrifice: Queenston Heights, Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach, Kap'yong – I could name many others. But history continues, and events in recent years have produced new bywords of Canadian heroism: Panjwai, Arghandab and Libya– places that some of the people in this room have served in.
Contained in each of these chapters in the story of Canada are the stories of individual men and women – the heroes of Canada’s Armed Forces. The milestones of their lives in uniform are very much the milestones of our history. But the milestone for them that often goes unnoticed is the transition from active duty to civilian life, and a key part of that transition is finding a good new job.
For this reason, I am happy – very happy – to announce the launch of a new program to help our Canadian heroes find new ways to contribute to their families and to their communities. That program is Helmets to Hardhats Canada. This new initiative is a partnership between our government, provinces, the building trades unions, and the private sector.Helmets to Hardhats will provide exclusive access to jobs and training opportunities in the construction industry for Veterans, including disabled Veterans, and for reservists and transitioning members of the Canadian Armed Forces. It will help train the skilled tradespeople we need to keep our economy strong, including skilled workers for the energy sector here in Alberta.
I’d like to offer special thanks and congratulations today to Canada’s Building Trades Unions who really have been spearheading this initiative. Thanks are also due to TransCanada for their very generous contribution to help get this program started. We’re grateful also to the Province of Alberta for joining us today in launching Helmets to Hardhats. Though it’s just getting started, the idea makes perfect sense, and as more partners get involved, we are going to see the logic, literally, at work.
When people serve in our Armed Forces, among other things they become equipment operators. If you can drive a tank, why not drive a bulldozer? If you can drive a LAV, why not drive a Kenworth? Forklifts work the same everywhere, and so do backhoes. So in terms of transitions, Helmets to Hardhats will be a natural fit for many military Veterans, allowing them to take advantage of a new set of civilian opportunities that build on the skills they acquired while in uniform. Our next task going forward is to get as many partners as possible involved in this new program.
Ladies and gentlemen, while of course we have a special responsibility to support our Veterans, our government continues to work hard to provide new opportunities for all Canadians. As we have said repeatedly, the economy remains our government’s number-one priority. Canada has come through the global recession better than most. In fact, countries around the world are looking at us as a model. For the fourth year in a row, the World Economic Forum says our banks are the soundest in the world. Forbes magazine ranks Canada as the best place on the planet for businesses to grow and create jobs, and the OECD and the IMF predict our economy will again be among the leaders of the industrialized word over the next two years.
But as we have seen all too clearly these past few months, the global economy remains extremely fragile. Canada is not immune to the problems afflicting economies outside our country. We must not and we will not be complacent.
Our government will continue taking action to protect Canadians, to create jobs, and to lay the foundation for long-term growth. Since the recovery began, Canada’s Economic Action Plan has helped create almost 600,000 net new jobs. But there’s more to be done. We remain concerned about the number of Canadians still out of work, and we need to keep protecting and promoting our advantage in the struggling global economy. That’s why we’re implementing the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.
We’re keeping taxes low, we’re investing in training, and we’re expanding Canada’s trade in the world’s fastest-growing markets. We will continue to make the decisions necessary to ensure this country’s economy will keep growing in the long term.
In closing, ladies and gentlemen, I know you agree and I know Canadians agree that the men and women who have served our country in uniform have earned our deepest gratitude and highest respect. Our government is working hard to provide our military personnel, past and present, and their families, with the care, services, and financial support they need and deserve. Today’s announcement is just the latest step we have taken to act on that commitment, but it is also part of our larger, ongoing effort to create jobs and growth for all Canadians.
I want to end by thanking everyone who’s here today. All of the groups here represent a tremendous partnership that is launching a program of value, not just to men and women who have served our country proudly, but a program that ultimately could be of great value to the Canadian economy, so thank you, everybody, for your participation in this today
Thank you.
