Freeland Talks to Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Green Transition, Labor Shortage

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Addressing labor shortages and supporting the transition to green energy were among the topics of discussion when Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland met with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night.

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The Federal Treasurer was in town following last fall’s economic report and sat down for a nearly hour-long “fireside chat” with Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Deborah Yedlin in downtown Calgary. . Touching on a number of issues relevant to the local business community, Freeland said the government is looking to provide the federal government with a positive fiscal outlook, while it is most in need of help following record-high inflation. He reiterated that he was trying to help people.

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She told members of the Chamber of Commerce in attendance that she believes her government’s job is to help the industry reduce its carbon emissions in order to promote its sound financial position. rice field.

“I see my job as creating some policies that help accelerate turbocharging (the transition to green energy), and that is what we are trying to do,” Freeland said. said. “I think one of the things the press is trying to say about 2022 is that this is the year that the world’s major economies and major companies have truly decided that the green transition is no longer an issue. increase.”

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Freeland notes that the government’s $15 billion Canadian Growth Fund, which aims to attract investment in risk-averse technologies and emissions reductions, is a policy program recently introduced by the government to move toward that goal. advertised.

Freeland said, “Canadian Growth Fund will have investors with private sector expertise that will be able to execute some of these contracts. I think it will be important for the future.”

She also noted that the federal government has a role to play alongside the states in addressing labor shortages. We are participating in streamlining interprovincial accreditation in areas such as Canada and believe that there should be a simpler process for enabling internationally accredited people to work in Canada.

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“If someone in Nova Scotia is good enough to be a nurse, I think they are good enough to be a good nurse in Alberta. I think it can work,” said Freeland. “But there is a lot of practical work that needs to be done, and there are some specific hurdles that need to be cleared.

Freeland also noted how immigration will be important in strengthening the workforce in Alberta and Canada.

After the conversation, Yedlin said he felt Freeland had touched on a number of issues that were top priorities for the local business community, calling the deauthentication initiative an important one and supporting the Fund to Reduce Technology Risks. He said it was a “huge step forward” to establish the

“Overall, I think the message she left for our business community was positive. Do they want more? Absolutely. Because we always want to hear more.” says Yedlin.

dshort@postmedia.com