Hon. Rodger Cuzner: Welcome, secretary of state. It’s good to see you.

As has been said, I think the construction sector in this country is very excited about being on the cusp of something fairly significant. It’s our responsibility to make sure that the workers are there. We want Canadians to benefit from the investments that are set to be made.

With a country so vast, it has always been a challenge getting workers to where the work is. Coming from Cape Breton, we’ve always been sort of a pool of a mobile skilled labour force. In order for Canadians to see those benefits, what steps has the government taken to ensure that the opportunities for mobility are there and that the disincentives are, at least, dealt with?

Hon. John Zerucelli, P.C., M.P., Secretary of State (Labour): Thank you, Senator Cuzner. I know you have long been a supporter of the building trades and unions in general, so this is an issue that you know quite well. Certainly, there are skilled trades workers from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia — well, a lot of people are now travelling to Nova Scotia because there’s quite a lot going on in Nova Scotia. But, certainly, in Newfoundland and other Atlantic provinces, we find skilled trades workers who are travelling across the country to Alberta.

Labour mobility is an important key to what we are working on. The largest barrier faced by a skilled trades worker is the training and health and safety regulations. This is a barrier to them getting on the job right away. Some provinces have committed to a 10-day approval of recognition; others have not. We’re working hard with our provincial colleagues. This is largely a provincial responsibility. The federal government has the ability to help influence this area relating to financial incentives.

Building on some of the previous answers, we have agreement to harmonize working from heights and working on mobile elevated work platforms. We’re working on hoisting and rigging as well as trenching and shoring.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, secretary of state.

[English]

Senator Cuzner: Thank you for that. As Senator Osler mentioned in her question, it’s still a concern that a number of young apprentices start out but don’t complete their apprenticeships. Red Seals can sort of move back and forth across the country without too much problem, but the inability to recognize credentials and training seems to be a barrier. Is there a formal table where the provinces and the federal government meet to address what could be done at that level?

Mr. Zerucelli: Yes, there is, Senator Cuzner. It is largely directed by federal-provincial labour ministers, but there’s a subgroup of deputy ministers who are working alongside to reduce these barriers. They then report to the work that Minister LeBlanc and the Prime Minister are doing with the premiers. This stream of work is a subset of labour mobility, which is then part of the broader aspect of reducing barriers to trade across the country.