The Labour Market Agreements: What Did They Really Do? – Caledon Institute

Donna E. Wood and Brigid Hayes, June 2016

From 2008 until 2014, the federal government transferred funds through the Labour Market Agreements to the provinces and territories to support labour market programs and employment services for disadvantaged Canadians.  In 2013, Ottawa unilaterally cancelled the Labour Market Agreements and replaced them (except in Québec) with Canada Job Fund Agreements.  In doing so, Ottawa moved from helping the most disadvantaged to supporting employers to train their own employees.  This paper assesses Labour Market Agreement programming over its six-year lifespan and compares provincial results.  The paper demonstrates that there is a strong and continuing need for LMA-type programming in Canada.

ISBN – 1-55382-668-X

NT3