Approve B.C. Labour Agreement
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to immediately approve British Columbia’s Labour Market Development Agreement to release the $50M Worker Support Fund, add retirement‑bridge and relocation funding, and extend 20 EI weeks to April 2027.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would unlock $50M to provide income supports, upskilling and retraining for laid‑off forestry workers who need immediate assistance.
- Retirement‑bridge funding offers a realistic pathway for workers over 55 for whom retraining may be impractical.
- Extending 20 extra weeks of EI to April 2027 and ensuring equal application prevents coverage gaps for workers laid off after the current expiry.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Releasing the fund and extending EI involve fiscal and policy trade‑offs; some may prefer prioritizing other public spending or programs.
- Retirement‑bridge or relocation funding may be less effective than targeted retraining or local job‑creation for longer‑term labour absorption.
- Approving agreements and ensuring equal EI application can be administratively complex and may require time or legal adjustments to implement.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Hundreds of forestry workers on Vancouver Island have been laid off either temporarily or permanently since March 2025; In June 2025, Prime Minister Carney announced an extra 20 weeks of EI coverage for forestry workers, which have not been applied equally; This extension is set to expire in April 2026, leaving those workers laid off after the expiration date unfairly disadvantaged by separate EI rules; and In August 2025, the Minister of Families and Jobs announced a $50 million Worker Support Fund to assist with upskilling, reskilling and income supports for forestry workers, but this funding has still not been released in British Columbia. We, the undersigned, Members of the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) and USW Chemainus Sawmill workers, call upon the Government of Canada to immediately approve British Columbia’s Labour Market Development Agreement so that the Worker Support Fund monies can be released to workers in need. 1. Consider adding retirement bridge funding to the Worker Support Fund as it may be more realistic than retraining for many workers over the age of 55 years old; 2. Consider adding relocation funding to the Worker Support Fund to allow workers to move should they need to leave the region due to limited job absorption; and 3. Extend the extra 20 weeks of EI (Employment Insurance) coverage for forestry workers for an additional fiscal year, until April 2027, and ensure these benefits are being applied equally to all forestry workers who have been laid off. immediately approve British Columbia’s Labour Market Development Agreement so that the Worker Support Fund monies can be released to workers in need. 1. Consider adding retirement bridge funding to the Worker Support Fund as it may be more realistic than retraining for many workers over the age of 55 years old; 2. Consider adding relocation funding to the Worker Support Fund to allow workers to move should they need to leave the region due to limited job absorption; and 3. Extend the extra 20 weeks of EI (Employment Insurance) coverage for forestry workers for an additional fiscal year, until April 2027, and ensure these benefits are being applied equally to all forestry workers who have been laid off.
Government response
No government response is available yet.