Hello everyone. I hope everyone’s week is off to a good start.

It’s great to be here today with Ministers O’Regan and Qualtrough to talk about yet another step we’re taking to create good, middle class jobs while fighting climate change.

Thank you also to Cindy Gareau from the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors, and to Corey Diamond from Efficiency Canada, for joining us today.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a new program – the Greener Homes Grant – to help retrofit up to 700,000 homes.

This investment will provide energy audits, as well as grants of up to $5,000 for homeowners so that they can make energy-efficient improvements.

If you’re a homeowner, this will make your life more affordable and lower your energy bills – all while fighting climate change and creating good, middle class jobs.

To make these renovations happen, we need workers who can install windows, heating and cooling experts, electricians, and insulation specialists.

But before any of that work gets going on your house, you need an energy advisor who can tell you where you’re losing heat in the winter, or why your house is getting too hot in the summer, so you can plan what makes the most sense to invest in.

We know that there’s going to be a bigger demand for energy advisors, now and in the coming years, as more and more people retrofit their homes. And we have to make sure homeowners have access to energy evaluations everywhere in Canada.  

Today,  we’re announcing a $10 million commitment to recruit, train, and mentor-up up to 2,000 new energy advisors right across the country.

Whether for people who already work in construction, or in a whole range of other fields, this training program will open up new opportunities for people across the country.

These are good, well-paying jobs. Everyone should have the chance to benefit from this great career choice. That’s why we will actively recruit people from all walks of life to join the growing energy-efficiency sector.   

Through the Greener Homes initiative, we will invest $10 million to create 2,000 good jobs in energy advisor positions across the country.

These new advisors are going to make sure that homeowners, no matter where they live, have better access to targeted advice and EnerGuide evaluations.

Of course, this initiative will also help create more good, middle-class jobs by boosting the energy efficiency and construction sectors, in addition to having positive impacts throughout our supply chains.

Ministers O’Regan and Qualtrough will have more details to share in just a few moments, but the bottom line is this:

Creating green jobs is not only good for the economy, for workers, and for the environment – it makes life more affordable for the middle class, too.

After all, anyone with a home knows that leaky windows or an old furnace don’t just waste power  –  they waste money, too. By putting those retrofits in reach for homeowners, we’re going to help people cut their energy bills, while also cutting extra emissions. 

Buildings in Canada, including our homes, account for 18% of our greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s why it’s important for us to work on making our homes more energy efficient.

In addition to making our homes more comfortable and making their upkeep more affordable, these measure will help us reach our carbon neutral goal by 2050.

Climate change is real. And it’s an existential threat.

That’s why we’re continuing to strengthen our climate plan with smart, targeted investments.

We have a plan to rebuild a more resilient economy and a more sustainable future for all Canadians.

Because that’s what building back better is all about – real solutions that work for real people.

A healthier future. Good jobs. And a stronger, cleaner economy.

That’s what we’re going to keep delivering for Canadians.