Department of Finance Canada outlined Budget 2025 measures for workers before the budget was tabled.
One tax measure is a temporary five-year Personal Support Workers Tax Credit. Eligible workers would be able to claim a refundable credit equal to five per cent of eligible earnings, providing support of up to $1,100 per year.
The credit would be available in provinces and territories not covered by a bilateral agreement with the federal government to increase wages for personal support workers.
For skilled trades, Budget 2025 would expand the Union Training and Innovation Program to support union-based apprenticeship training in Red Seal trades.
The government also proposed $97 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, for a Foreign Credential Recognition Action Fund focused on making credential recognition fairer, faster, and more transparent in areas such as health care and construction.
For workers affected by tariffs and global market shifts, the budget package included $570 million over three years through Labour Market Development Agreements with provinces and territories.
The worker-support package also included $50 million over five years, plus $8 million ongoing, for a digital job-search and applications tool and a national online training platform.
Finance Canada also referred to temporary Employment Insurance measures for people whose jobs were affected by trade disruption.
The article matters to taxpayers because the package combines a refundable tax credit, labour-market funding, training support, and Employment Insurance measures rather than only general workforce policy.