An oil drilling rig operates surrounded by canola and hay fields near Cremona, Alta., Monday, July 12, 2021. Canada's long-promised plan to transition its labour force to respond to climate change says a clean energy economy will not lead to massive unemployment. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
OTTAWA – The Liberal government’s long-promised plan to transition Canada’s labour force to respond to climate change says a clean energy economy will not prompt massive unemployment in the country’s energy towns.
It says if Canada plays its cards right, the clean energy economy will create so many jobs there may not be enough workers to fill them.
The plan has become a political lightning rod for the federal Liberals in the face of heavy criticism from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that the goal is to shut down the oil and gas industry.
The report says that is not true.
It says while Canadians must accept that demand for oil and gas will drop sharply it will not disappear entirely, and many workers already have the skills needed to work in emerging sectors like hydrogen and biofuels.
The 32-page plan promises a new federal office to help co-ordinate the jobs transition, training and retraining programs, and better data collection to improve what we know about existing jobs and those that will be created in the future.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2023.
