HANSARD

 

NOVA SCOTIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

 

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEE

 

ON

 

VETERANS AFFAIRS

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

 

 

 

Committee Room

 

 

 

 

Skills Bridge Initiative

  

 

Printed and Published by Nova Scotia Hansard Reporting Services

 

 

VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Melissa Sheehy-Richard (Chair)

Ryan Robicheau (Vice-Chair)

Chris Palmer

Nick Hilton

Damian Stoilov

Suzy Hansen

Paul Wozney

Hon. Iain Rankin

Hon. Derek Mombourquette

 

 

In Attendance:

 

Philip Grassie

Legislative Counsel

 

Tamer Nusseibeh

Legislative Committee Clerk

 

 

WITNESSES

 

Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration

Vanessa Chouinard, Associate Deputy Minister

Kim Kennedy, COO, Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency

 

Helmets to Hardhats

Dr. Darryl Cathcart, National Director of Training and Development

David Giannou, Atlantic Canada Representative

 

Mainland Nova Scotia Building Trades Council

Alison Casey, Executive Director

 

Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council

Trent Soholt, Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALIFAX, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2026

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

 

1:00 P.M.

 

CHAIR

Melissa Sheehy-Richard

 

Vice-Chair

Ryan Robicheau

 

 

THE CHAIR: Order. I call this meeting to order. This is the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. I’m Melissa Sheehy-Richard, MLA for Hants West and Chair of this committee. Today we are going to hear from presenters regarding the Skills Bridge Initiative. I just want to remind everyone at this time to put our devices on silent so that we’re not interrupted. In case of an emergency, I would ask that we use the Granville Street exit and walk up to Parade Square.

 

I will begin by asking the committee members to introduce themselves by name and constituency. I will begin with MLA Robicheau.

 

[The committee members introduced themselves.]

 

THE CHAIR: I would also like to note the presence of Legislative Counsel Philip Grassie and Legislative Committee Clerk Tamer Nusseibeh.

 

Today’s topic, like I mentioned, is an exciting topic and an important one: Skills Bridge Initiative. I welcome all the witnesses here today for taking time out and being present for the committee. At this point, I’ll get everyone to just introduce themselves for the record, and then I will come back and welcome you to give your opening remarks, beginning with Mr. Giannou.

 

[The witnesses introduced themselves.]

 

THE CHAIR: Welcome. I understand from the clerk that there are a few opening remarks. At this point, so I don’t lose pace in the witness chain, I’m going to open it up to Dr. Cathcart, if you wanted to go first.

 

DR. DARRYL CATHCART: At Helmets to Hardhats, we work at the intersection of military-to-civilian transition, identity, and purpose, along with economic impact. Together, these elements determine whether a releasing service member, a veteran, a reservist, or a military family member can move from service into stable employment, have a community connection, produce long-term contributions to the province of Nova Scotia.

 

Military-to-civilian transition is often described too narrowly as a job search. In practice, it is a social, psychological, educational, and economic process. It involves changes in role, routine, income, peer networks, family structure, and personal identity. The challenge is rarely a lack of discipline, talent, or work ethic; it is translating military experience into civilian systems that do not always understand military skills, culture, or the pace and uncertainty of a military release. This is where a structured pathway matters.

 

The Helmets to Hardhats Skills Bridge project interprets the civilian labour market, connects candidates to unionized construction pathways, and works with the building trades unions and employers who recognize military-connected talent. Because we operate nationally, we bring tested relationships, labour market knowledge, and outreach capacity into a provincial context. That national reach allows us to produce practical and local outcomes.

 

The second theme is identity and purpose. Military service is not only employment; it is a way of belonging, of contributing, of leading, and being accountable to others. When people leave uniform, the question is not only, “What job will I do next,” but, “Where do I belong now and how do I continue to serve in a way that matters?” The unionized skilled trades offer a strong and robust answer to those questions. Construction work is team based, it is mission focused, it is skill-driven, it is tied to visible public outcomes. Veterans and military-connected individuals can see the bridge between the service - military service - and civilian contribution. They can continue working in environments where safety, standards, mentorship, and collective responsibility matter.

 

The third and final theme is economic impact. Nova Scotia has a significant defence presence, a strong veteran population, and ongoing labour needs across construction, housing, infrastructure, energy, shipbuilding, and public works. Supporting Helmets to Hardhats is therefore not only support for individual transition, it strengthens the labour force. It supports unionized employers. It helps address shortages in the skilled trades while retaining experienced workers in the provincial economy. Strategically, this is the public value. National outreach identifies and engages military-connected individuals wherever they are in their transition, and provincial implementation turns that outreach into apprenticeships, family stability, employment, and retains human capital here in Nova Scotia.

 

In conclusion, our work is grounded in a very simple premise. Military-connected individuals do not need charity. They need informed systems. They need credible pathways and partners who understand both their experience and the labour market they are entering. With the continued support of the Government of Nova Scotia, Helmets to Hardhats can keep building that bridge. The result is a lasting, positive impact for Nova Scotia veterans and families, the broader military community, the unionized construction trades, and employers across the province.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today.

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: Thank you, Chair and members of the committee, for having us here today. I am Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Dave Giannou, and I’d like to thank you again for inviting Helmets to Hardhats back to talk about the topic of veterans transitioning, specifically through the Helmets to Hardhats Skills Bridge grant.

 

In my role in the Atlantic region, I’ll probably be discussing the impact that Helmets to Hardhats has had on our Nova Scotia veterans. As you know, Helmets to Hardhats is a national not-for-profit organization whose primary goal is to assist veterans transitioning into meaningful second careers within the unionized construction trade industry. We have provided this service to veterans, serving reservists, their families, and cadets for over 14 years. Through our work with the Canada’s Building Trades Unions and their employers, we’ve referred thousands of veterans nationally into well-paying second careers as unionized tradespersons. In Nova Scotia, the number of referrals has more than doubled with the addition of a dedicated member to this area over the past five years.

 

I have served my country for 36 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, retiring in 2018, and I joined Helmets to Hardhats in 2021. I did this to help develop stronger ties between the Canadian Armed Forces, the unions, employers, and other organizations in Atlantic Canada. The goal was to help create better pathways for our veterans, as my colleague has mentioned, into rewarding second careers, and for the serving reservists to develop a dual career, both in the trades and in the Canadian Armed Forces. A quote I use often is from a serving reservist who is a tradesperson. He says, “As a serving reservist and tradesperson, I get to build what I protect, and I get to protect what I build.” That saying has resonated with me for many years. I like to share it because it’s a strong statement about what can happen when we have both sides - the military and the trades - working together.

 

The service we provide also extends to the direct family members of our veterans and serving members in recognition of their contribution to service. Most serving members come with a family. My wife has been with me now for 36 years - a very strong woman, obviously, to put up with me for that long. Our family members go through this with us, and we need to be able to support them as well.

 

At Helmets to Hardhats, our staff consists primarily of veterans, and as veterans, we understand the challenges faced by other veterans when transitioning from the Armed Forces into a civilian job. We also have union members on staff who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, which strengthens our connections with the union locals and employers. Our national executive director, James Hogarth, is a steamfitter with 40-plus years of experience. He’s also the vice-president of the Ontario Construction Secretariat and sits on many other similar committees.

 

As I’ve spoken to this committee before, I’ll provide only a brief update on how Helmets to Hardhats works. A veteran who is contemplating release or is already released will register for an account on our website. They provide a resumé and proof of military service, and then we’ll reach out to that person and schedule a one-on-one interview to discuss options for their future careers. It speaks a lot to the veterans that they’re hearing from veterans who’ve gone through the process.

 

Our primary focus in these discussions is to provide a high-level education on the Canada’s Building Trades Unions and the process involved in conducting an apprenticeship in the 60-plus trades that we represent. We discuss the member’s experience, qualifications, and intentions, understanding that not all veterans want to continue in their current trade - and many cannot, as there isn’t a civilian equivalent. Once we’ve determined what trades they are interested in, we work closely with the appropriate union locals to help ease the member’s transition into that trade.

 

I would like to highlight to this committee that Helmets to Hardhats does not charge our members for our services. Much of our funding comes from the unions and employers, with targeted provincial grants and federal grants for specific programs such as Skills Bridge.

 

In my experience, I’ve found the Canada’s Building Trades Unions and their employers to be very supportive of this program nationally. I personally felt overwhelmed by the level of support through our direct communication during my tenure. They respect and admire what veterans have done and signed up to do. As our founder, Joe Maloney, is often heard saying, “For what these fine, brave women and men do for us, offering them more options when coming home is just the right thing to do.”

 

Thank you once again for offering us the opportunity to provide you with information on this issue.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Kennedy.

 

KIM KENNEDY: Good afternoon. Thank you for extending the invitation for us to be here today to discuss the Skills Bridge initiative. It’s an exciting time to be a skilled trades professional in our province. There is great demand for skilled trades professionals, especially in construction, shipbuilding, infrastructure, defence, and energy.

 

We are meeting this moment. We need a modern trades training system that is flexible, nimble, responsive, and industry-led - an accessible system that supports people through to certification in the fastest way possible while maintaining the quality and integrity of the Red Seal program. We need a system that’s focused on recruiting, training, and retaining more skilled trades people faster; creating a more diverse workforce; and making it easier for people to connect to well-paying, sustainable careers right in their communities. All of this helps to meet the demand.

 

At the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, we’re providing more supports to apprentices throughout their journey. That includes expanding access to technical training and using technological solutions to create efficiencies and better support for our clients. Efforts are also under way to remove barriers for students and apprentices, helping them to successfully become certified in the skilled trades. The agency is also an active member of the Institute of Skilled Trades, working closely with NSCC and our industry partners to provide students and apprentices with the modern training and equipment to develop the skills that employers need.

 

For all of this work, collaboration and coordination with industry and organizations is key throughout the apprenticeship system. That means finding meaningful partnerships with great organizations like Helmets to Hardhats who help us recruit skilled trades professionals. For generations, Nova Scotian have contributed to Canada’s defence and security. We know that military members are highly skilled and excellent candidates for the skilled trades when they are ready to transition to civilian careers.

 

Working with Helmets to Hardhats presents us with a great opportunity. We get to help Canadian Armed Forces veterans, reservists, and their family members transition to construction careers. Skills Bridge offers training, coaching, and direct pathways into apprenticeship and employment opportunities across the province. We are grateful for our partners, a few of whom are here with us today - working together to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of Nova Scotia.

 

I’m pleased to be here today to discuss this important program and the collaborative approach we have in this province for meeting the skilled workforce demand. Thank you, and I look forward to any questions you may have.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Thank you, Chair, and members of the committee. I really appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about the Skills Bridge initiative and workforce development opportunities for veterans, reservists, military members, and their families. Nova Scotia has a long and proud military history. We are home to one of the country’s largest military communities and are increasingly recognized as Canada’s defence capital. We are proud of it.

 

[1:15 p.m.]

 

That leadership is helping drive major growth in areas like defence, shipbuilding, and infrastructure. As a result, there are tremendous opportunities for skilled workers. Military members, veterans, and reservists bring valuable experience, leadership, technical expertise, safety awareness, workplace discipline, and strong problem-solving skills. Those strengths align well with many high-demand careers across Nova Scotia, and that’s where the Skills Bridge initiative comes in, helping military-connected individuals transitions into civilian careers in the skilled trades.

 

The Province is investing up to $480,000 over three years through the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. It will run until October 2028 and is expected to support up to 100 participants through training, coaching, peer support, and pathways into apprenticeship and employment. At the same time, the Province is also helping military members transition more quickly into civilian skilled trades careers.

 

The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency recognizes military equivalencies in 13 Red Seal trades and one provincial trade. That means qualified military members can challenge Red Seal exams directly without repeating training they already have.

 

NSCC also provides dedicated supports for military-connected learners. That includes prior learning recognition, customized military training, financial supports, and transition assistance. The Province also recognized the important role military spouses and families play in successful transitions. We will continue our work to connect them with employment, training, and other support opportunities.

 

In closing, I want to say how essential partnerships are to all of this work. Government works closely with the Canadian Armed Forces, employers, unions, training providers, and workforce partners. Together, we are helping more military-connected individuals build meaningful second careers and long-term opportunities in Nova Scotia. We deeply appreciate the work of our partners and their commitment on this initiative and many others. We could not do it without them. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Soholt.

 

TRENT SOHOLT: Thank you, committee members and fellow witnesses. I would like to start by recognizing and thanking all those who have served and are in the process of serving. I mentioned earlier that I’m with the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council. We are industry’s and government’s help desk in all things construction related. We focus on supporting workforce development, collaboration, innovation, and investment, both by industry and by government.

 

I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with many of you around some of our youth programming. It’s a pleasure to see so many familiar faces. The research and the community engagement we do really help to give us an underpinning of what’s happening within the sector. As mentioned, the Skills Bridge initiative is really an opportunity for veterans, reservists, senior Cadets, and family members to successfully transition into civilian careers with supports in the construction industry.

 

I’m learning more and more on a personal side how integrated the construction industry is with the Armed Forces. In the last week alone, three industry professionals have shared that they have served and continue to do so in that regard, one being a contractor, one being a training provider, and another being a union rep. I know there are many more within the construction industry who participate.

 

On the industry side, it’s no surprise that the construction industry is busy. You can tell by the cranes around the province. We have a record number breaking our skyline. For context, between 2015 and 2025, the industrial, commercial, and institutional sector - everything bigger than a house and not a road - has grown roughly 32 percent, or an average of 3 percent per year. Going forward, many of our projections see growth in the sector continuing between 5 and 12 percent, depending on the investments and the level of attraction to the province.

 

As you can imagine, there are many opportunities in all aspects of the construction industry. Especially with generational investment happening, we are seeing growth at an unprecedented rate.

 

To meet this demand, the sector is leaning heavily into recruitment, training, and retention for both trades and management occupations. On the management side, I’m pleased to share that we deliver industry-based training in a variety of areas: supervision, project management, and estimating - all of which were identified as partnership activities as part of the Skills Bridge initiative and supported by the Province through the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. A big thanks to LSI for the ongoing support for these critical activities.

 

On the trades side, we’ve been leveraging industry, government, and partnership relations to strengthen, coordinate, and accelerate to direct entry where an employer and an employee enter into that agreement to then bring apprentices on-site. Through our industry and community engagement activities, we also have what’s called an Enhanced Direct Entry pathway, which is an opportunity through industry-based training, mentioned earlier, through programs funded through Labour, Skills and Immigration’s construction industry supports, as well as other pre-apprenticeship programs - all amazing opportunities for connections to trades with work-ready skills, job placements, attachment to employment, and registration to the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, which is to deliver on a targeted workforce growth in the skilled trades and management occupations.

 

These are all initiatives that we are very proud to have such a coordinated workforce development approach with - with our partners in the Province through LSI, the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, the building trades, contractors, and organizations like Helmets to Hardhats supporting those who have served. We are extremely appreciative of the investment by the Province of Nova Scotia and the ongoing investments to enable us to rise to these opportunities. Thank you.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Casey.

 

ALISON CASEY: Thank you, Chair and committee members. I’m so pleased to be here with all of our partners today. I represent 13 skilled trade unions across the province with close to 12,000 members in the industrial/commercial/institutional construction sector. We are proud partners in work-first development for the construction industry.

 

Skills Bridge is an important investment in veterans, workers, and the future of our skilled trades. With the level of development in our province that we’re currently seeing, our unions need all the workers they can get, and most are recruiting. Those who have served our country merit strong support as they transition into civilian careers - and we know it’s not easy.

 

Our 13 building trades unions are very proud partners of Helmets to Hardhats. Many of our unions and employers have been supporting Helmets to Hardhats for the last decade. I’ve worked really closely with Dave at the end of this table. I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done. The building trades are all about putting people to work in really meaningful jobs, and we’ve been able to do that - so really proud.

 

We know that veterans bring the qualities and experience that our employers need. As mentioned before, those interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, professionalism, dedication - all qualities that are a natural fit for our unions and the employers that we send our tradesmen and women to.

 

As unions, we don’t just support this work, we help deliver it. As Trent mentioned, we have many different training pathways for individuals. We have seven training centres across the province, multiple apprenticeship pathways, and a direct connection to over 300 employers. We play an active role in helping veterans move from interest to training to those meaningful unionized careers. Skills Bridge strengthens those pathways and ensures veterans are supported every step of the way. We want this not to be just a job, but a career. This initiative reflects what’s possible when government, industry, and training partners work together, and I’ve never seen the type of collaboration we have today with those who are at the table.

Again, very pleased to be here, and thank you for your time.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you, everyone. At this point, we’re going to move into questioning by committee members to the witnesses. I just want to remind everybody so Legislative Television picks you up, to just wait until I acknowledge you and your light will turn red magically. You don’t need to hit any buttons.

 

In first round of questions, we will begin with the NDP caucus for 20 minutes, followed by the Liberals for 10 minutes and the Progressive Conservatives for 30 minutes. Also, if the time elapses, I’m not trying to be rude or difficult. I will have to say “order” so that we can keep the time on track.

 

I welcome MLA Wozney to begin.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Under the Skills Bridge initiative, the Province is spending about half a million dollars to support up to 100 veterans moving into construction-sector jobs with the help of Helmets to Hardhats. ADM Chouinard, can you outline what metrics are being used by the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration to measure success to date to determine if this program will continue after the initial project end date of October 2028?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: I can follow up with the exact details, but we do have a performance-based agreement with Helmets to Hardhats as a part of this exciting initiative. I think I highlighted in my remarks that we do have a very specific goal of 100 participants as a part of the agreement over three years. We also have targets around engagement activities like the number of outreach sessions and things like that. Those are the nature of things that make up the agreement. I can tell you that since the announcement in January 2026, we already have - with the help of, obviously, Helmets to Hardhats and other partners - 31 people registered: 29 men and 2 women. There have been 22 outreach events, so we’re really happy with the progress we’re seeing.

 

I really appreciate the question because this is really about getting outcomes that are required for the use of the public purse. We think it’s such a wonderful initiative and one of the many levers we’re using toward our overall workforce development strategy.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Thank you, Associate Deputy Minister. We’ll look forward to the further documentation on follow-up at a later time. There’s no question this is important work and could potentially lay the foundation for something bigger, given the size of the veteran population in our province. In 2021, Nova Scotia was home to more than 18,000 working-aged veterans. I’m wondering, Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard, does the department have a sense of how many of those veterans are currently working in the construction sector or potentially interested in working in the construction sector?

VANESSA CHOUINARD: That’s actually a very interesting question. I don’t have an answer to that, but it’s definitely caused me to reflect and think of what type of work we can do with our partners to understand that a bit more in terms of the active service members here in this province. As I know you all know, we are very proud to be Canada’s defence capital, so we value the contributions of all of those service members, both to our nation’s sovereignty and also to the communities that make up Nova Scotia. I think that’s actually a really great point you make, and we’ll take that away. Thank you for that.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Helmets to Hardhats has matched veterans across the country with career opportunities in construction for more than a decade. It’s a wonderful program. To either Dr. Cathcart or Mr. Giannou, I’m wondering how we compare to the rest of the country. Specifically, I’m wondering if you can outline any unique gateways or barriers you observe when it comes to matching veterans with employers in Nova Scotia that might not exist elsewhere in Canada.

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: That’s a very good question. If I could, I’d like to link it back to your previous question. When we look in from an aggregate perspective and a national perspective, recent stats have shown that nearly 8,500 folks leave the Canadian Armed Forces annually. There was a study done in 2019 that reflected about 6 percent of those individuals go to the unionized construction sector - that’s both union and non-union. Helmets to Hardhats will see roughly 400 a year out of those 8,500.

 

If we look nationally, it is not a fair comparison. I’ll go back to Ms. Chouinard’s statement twice. There’s a defence hub here so it would be unfair to compare the actions, the initiative in Nova Scotia as compared to Manitoba or Saskatchewan or even British Columbia for that matter. One thing we do pride ourselves on is trying to match workforce needs in each province. There is a need here in Nova Scotia from both a unionized construction perspective and from the military, veteran, and reservist population. That is unique here in Nova Scotia.

 

[1:30 p.m.]

 

The final comment I would say is from a national perspective. I’ll address the barriers part of your question. We have not seen any systemic barriers to veteran employment, but Nova Scotia would rank third in terms of our outreach and referrals. By that I mean the majority of clients. Over 50 percent of Helmets to Hardhats clients, are referred to a union local in Ontario, followed by Alberta, followed by Nova Scotia. Through the Skills Bridge initiative, we are establishing that foundation to identify barriers, identify opportunities, and work with our partners so we can, in the very near future, have those metrics for the economic impact of the province.

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou, did you have something to add?

DAVID GIANNOU: Not a lot to add. Dr. Cathcart has a very good handle on the national level and provincial. I believe we are unique in what we are doing as an organization to help the veterans and their families transition into construction trades. I’ve heard of very few other organizations that do that on a national level. There are some at a provincial level, but very few.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Dr. Cathcart, just by way of follow-up, you mentioned that Nova Scotia, from your organization’s perspective, ranks third behind Ontario and Alberta. Is that simply on an economy of scale basis in terms of sheer population that we rank third? Pound for pound, are we hitting appropriately for our weight, given the number of veterans that we have here proportionately? Are there perhaps larger veteran populations elsewhere in Canada?

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: It’s a great question. I wouldn’t focus solely on the veteran population. The stats here in the HRM, they are certainly national in size. Really, it has to be a confluence of events that come together: the need for unionized construction workers, the intakes that unions have - meaning how many folks go from referral to employment - and that available veteran population. The other thing I would note is whilst we are using the word veteran, I believe all of my colleagues have broken that down. We specifically mentioned veteran, reservist, family member, and senior Cadet.

 

I wouldn’t want to talk about a pound-for-pound impact. We are certainly extremely grateful for the support we’re getting from the Government of Nova Scotia here, but that military footprint is different. The veteran population here in Nova Scotia differs from Alberta. The reservist population differs here in Nova Scotia from the GTA, as an example, which has a higher preponderance of Reserves. When we start to do the analysis on those factors, it is not a fair pound-for-pound analysis.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: I appreciate Dr. Cathcart’s comments reminding the committee that when we talk about veterans, we’re using that in an umbrella way. We’re folding in a number of folks who are - reservists may have never served actively, but are adjacent, folks who are senior Cadets and things like that. Not everybody leaving the military is leaving at the same age for the same reasons. I think there’s often an assumption that these are - when we talk about veterans, these are people who have served the full 20 years of their service and are graduating to post-military retirement, knowing that not all veterans necessarily exit the service at that point in time in their lives.

 

That’s an important flag for me. Two years ago, the former leader of my party, Gary Burrill, asked the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration if they would look at extending something called the More Opportunity for Skilled Trades and Occupations Tax Refund to veterans regardless of their age. That was a question really anchored in this notion that this was a tax credit that was aimed at people much earlier in their careers than many veterans might seek to access it. Perhaps the way that it was structured, veterans who were later in their careers leaving the military may not be eligible for it.

 

We were told at the time that the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration would take the question to the Department of Finance and Treasury Board responsible for the rebate, noting that suggestions are welcome in terms of how we provide incentives to all people willing to participate in the skilled trades. But we haven’t had an update from the department on this since that request was made.

 

Obviously we are aware that, at this point in time, most people entering the trades are doing so under the age of 30. On the other hand, a lot of veterans seeking to transition to the trades would do so after the age of 30 and perhaps may not be eligible for the credit. I’m just wondering if Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard might have an update on that MOST tax refund and whether or not adjustments have been made to ensure that veterans transitioning to careers in the trades have that as a support as well.

 

THE CHAIR: Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: I can tell you that - obviously you know about the MOST program and how that’s meant to help support and incent individuals into the skilled trades as an approach to workforce development strategy. At this time, my understanding is that it’s maintained at the current age.

 

That said, though, there are a significant amount of supports that have been created to help support those in the skilled trades, regardless of age. In particular - things like for veterans in particular, and for other military-connected individuals - Kim mentioned in her remarks about the fact, and I did as well, that we have equivalencies. When we have those equivalencies, the goal and the benefit of those equivalencies between what a career may be in the Canadian Armed Forces and what it is in our Red Seal trades program or provincial trade enables people to go directly to write their exam. What that does is it removes any additional training requirements and any additional apprenticeship. They get to go direct, and we waive the trade qualifier fee. So we have other supports like that, which help remove any barriers to entry into a second career or help expedite that entrance into a second career.

 

That’s just an example of something that we have. We also have a lot of opportunities and supports for military-connected personnel through the Nova Scotia Community College, such as prior-learning assessments and recognition of skills, as well as transition supports for military-connected individuals - tuition deferrals and things like that.

 

The other part I want to mention is the importance of ensuring settlement and supports for family members, spouses - not just employment but other supports as well. The Province participates in a framework called Seamless Canada, which is meant to help support transition of military individuals and families - helping to remove pressure points like child care, transportation, health care - things like that, which are really challenging.

 

So while the MOST program may be focused on under-30, I think there is a whole bundle and package of supports, which actually help support our military-connected individuals, current service members, veterans, and all the remaining groups that participate and who serve our country.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: I’m sure other folks in the committee, like me, are glad to hear that the department has turned its mind about how to support people, perhaps, at a different station in life to make a transition. I take Mr. Giannou’s comments and Dr. Cathcart’s comments about the enormity of what’s involved in making the transition from military life to civilian life.

 

I guess I would subscribe to the belief that more is better than same. If there is a way that the MOST program could be adapted to be one more support - and a number of costs that you just focused on there that have an impact on transition, like the ability to afford child care and things like that - if this tax refund could be one more piece that better supports veterans making transition, that’s a good thing for veterans. It’s a good thing for the skilled trades. It’s a good thing for the province. We understood this was sort of a recommendation or a suggestion that will be taken away, but if there’s further work to do on maybe how that could be a piece of it, we’d like to see that followed through on. Thank you for the outline of other supports that are there. That’s good to know as well.

 

BuildForce Canada’s 2025-2034 Forecast Scenario for Nova Scotia shows that the Province will need 15,000 new construction-sector workers within the next eight years to keep up with construction demand and expected retirements. With other provinces facing similar shortages, it’s imperative that our province is a place where people want to be doing this important work. If they could pick anywhere in Canada, we want Nova Scotia to be at the top of that list. Dr. Cathcart and Mr. Giannou, I’m wondering if you could comment on what the Government of Nova Scotia might be doing differently to make Nova Scotia the most attractive place in the country for veterans to pursue a second career working in the construction sector.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: Thanks for that question. It’s a great question and we’re going to answer in two parts, if you’ll allow us to do so. From a national perspective, I think the province attracts people naturally. It’s an organic thing. People want to work and come to the province of Nova Scotia. It’s a great place to work and live, but we’re doing that. We have our national outreach advisors attend military transition seminars across the country. We know that the population, the military-connected population’s a transient population. Well over 30 percent of the military moves annually.

 

I will finish on this and hand it over to Mr. Giannou. If you can just imagine: a young Nova Scotian joins the Royal Canadian Navy and ends up in and spends the majority of their career on the west coast of Victoria. All their roots, all their family are here in the province. We’re out there in Esquimalt. In fact, today we’ve got folks in Edmonton attending military transition seminars. We attract folks not only to the unionized skill trades - all 61 skilled trades that we represent - we also try and attract people back to their home province. With that, I’ll hand it over to Mr. Giannou.

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou with two minutes.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: Nova Scotia - I was born here. I grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador, but I spent most of my career in Nova Scotia. Why would you not want to be here? It’s a beautiful province. As Dr. Cathcart mentioned, in the military we are transient. I spent the first two years of my career in Ontario, three years out on the west coast fighting to get back to Nova Scotia. We recognize that. We talk to our veterans and talk to them about how and where they want to live and what’s available out there, but we also recognize where the growth and industry is, and Nova Scotia right now is booming. It’s a great opportunity for people to come back. Even if they don’t want to come back, maybe it’s people who want to come here. We do advocate for it across the country.

 

I was in St. John’s a couple of weeks ago talking to the military members there. One gentleman was there because his wife was from Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe at some point they will move back to Nova Scotia as well.

 

So as Dr. Cathcart says, we do advertise this across the country. We tell the veterans where the jobs are, what the opportunities are, where the best opportunity for growth are - because you have to complete your apprenticeship. You can’t just come in and become a tradesperson. It takes time. If you go to a province that has a lot of growth like Nova Scotia does right now, there’s a better opportunity to finish your apprenticeship on time, become a journeyperson or a Red Seal, and have a career and a future that fits you.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you. MLA Wozney, you have 30 seconds or less.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Maybe I’ll just float this question and then follow it up in the second round. When the federal government was combining their national and veteran employment strategy, they heard from many employers and human resource professionals who said they don’t fully understand the nature and depth of various military occupations and their associated skills and responsibilities. Similarly, veterans often struggle to present their skills on a resume or during an interview in a way that civilian employers understand. I think I’m going to run out of time. I’ll follow this up in the second round.

 

THE CHAIR: Order. We’ll move on to the Liberal caucus. MLA Rankin.

 

HON. IAIN RANKIN: Thank you all for all the work that you’re doing. It’s really important work, both in the trades and in supporting families who are involved in military service. I’ll try to continue with the point that was just starting there. I did have a question around how the whole ecosystem works when a veteran reaches out to a program like this. We know that there are unique challenges that are present after retiring from the service and the transition to civilian life. I’m wondering how the Skills Bridge initiative works as the primary focus being employment transition, but beyond that traditional guidance counselling for careers, what is the suite of services? How does that connect into government services as a whole? We know the gaps are there.

 

[1:45 p.m.]

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: Our primary focus is to find a second career for our veterans and their families. It’s careers that we’re looking at. We’re not looking for a part-time opportunity where they can go out, work for a couple of months, and then be looking for their next job. We advocate on behalf of the trades and the unions to show the veterans what’s available out there. I say veterans, but as you know, we work with the serving reservists.

 

I want to circle back to MLA Wozney’s comment about active members. Canada is one of the few countries that has a definition of a veteran. I’m sure you all know it. You’ve signed up to serve your country; you’ve completed basic training. You’ve made the commitment and you proved that you can fulfill the duties. That’s important. We want to recognize that and provide what services we can.

 

When we meet with our veterans one on one, we talk about twhat they’ve brought to the game, what their point in life is. The average age of our veteran that we’re dealing with is in the early 30s - someone who’s served their country for 10, maybe 15 years, ready to move on. If they’re getting out at that stage, they’re not walking out with a pension. When I joined, I was lucky. I signed a 20-year contract. At the end of that, I was going to walk out with an immediate annuity. That helped bridge the gap. We don’t have that anymore. Now I believe it’s 25 years. I don’t know the full details, so I won’t speak to it.

 

We talk about what is available out there to help them, what supports are available to get them through the transition period from the time they leave the military until they’re starting their new career. As an apprentice, the apprenticeship is very similar to their military career. They’re going to start and do their block training. They’re going to go out and do on-the-job training. They’re getting paid for it, which is great, on the job, but it’s not the full wage. They will struggle financially for the first few years. Once they become a tradesperson, they are making a very good salary and doing well, but it’s that transition to get them to that stage.

 

We advise them of that. We work with the unions. The unions will work with the members as well, to give them financial planning, a financial gauge. They provide a strong medical and dental benefit plan, pension plans. For me, it’s a safe place for my brothers and sisters to land. They’re walking out of an organization that gives them strong dental and medical plans, a good pension, into another that’s going to do the same for them. From what I have seen from the unions, they do take care of their people very well. They have brotherhoods and sisterhoods, and that speaks volumes to me. I’ve seen the answers. I hope that answers your question, sir.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Just to continue on this path, how does NSCC - I know they’re not specifically at the table, but obviously, this is the place that most Nova Scotians start their training. It’s regionally dispersed across the province. I know NSCC did have collaborative relationships with Helmets to Hardhats specifically, but specific to this program, and just the sheer number of people who could take advantage of some support - maybe it’s not the full-blown placement into the initiative, but NSCC has expanded out to microcredentialing. Maybe there’s just a little bit more training in a certain area that someone needs.

 

I totally appreciate your comment that you’re not just trying to find a part-time job; you’re trying to find a full career. Trades increasingly are lucrative, and some people could have partial training. It seems like you’re on the right track to support 100 people over three years, but given the scale of the need in this province for trades and given the opportunity with so many veterans - age 30 being the median age - mostly ready to work, how nimble is that support being provided, and what is NSCC’s specific role in this?

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: I think that it’s really great to highlight the role of the NSCC. NSCC plays a number of roles when it comes to supporting military-connected personnel. Certainly, they work directly with the Forces to be an actually designated military learning institute and a connected college. They actually play an active role in helping to support the military do the actual training that they need. There are a number of programs they do, which is really a wonderful role for them to fulfil.

 

As I mentioned, when we talk about transitioning and looking for other careers, they do pay a lot of attention around that recognition of prior learning and prior credentials, and how that can best map, how that can help expedite training opportunities through their programs and things like that, as well as offer a variety of counselling, peer support, tuition deferral, financial supports, and things like that. That’s really helpful. Again, I’ll go back to the importance of families and support the military spousal employment network. They’re members of that to help support that pathway, and they have a dedicated military liaison and a lot of different awards, scholarships, and bursaries at NSCC.

 

Of course, NSCC is one partner that helps support training opportunities. When you talk about the scale of the need, I mean, the federal government has recently said that we’re estimating about 100,000 new skilled trades workers needed for the country.

 

If we just think about that for a minute - 100,000 new skilled trades workers by 2030. That is a mammoth task. They’ve recently rolled out a big Team Canada Strong program where they’re investing an incredible amount of money in terms of direct supports to apprentices: $400 a week up to $16,000 to support apprentices during their technical training; $10,000 per apprentice for an employer to help support that; certification bonuses to help make sure people, when they enter in the apprenticeship program, that they have a bonus at the end; labour mobility deductions; all sorts of things. We’re really thrilled about that, and we’ll work really diligently at the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency to make sure that we’re complementing those programs.

 

On the training side, we have a tremendous number of initiatives under way in concert with industry, with NSCC, with the Building Trades Unions to come up with expedited training pathways, as well as greater training capacity. Mr. Soholt mentioned the Enhanced Direct Entry program, so back to helping to connect individuals in mid-career transitions, whether it be military connected or otherwise.

 

We have the ability to provide wraparound support so someone who may be in one particular part of their career journey and they want to shift into something far more, perhaps, than what they would consider as lucrative, like the skilled trades. They’re able to get income stabilization while they participate in a 16- to 17-week training program. They’re getting the basics of safety training, they’re getting the basics of that particular trade training, then they’re able to be connected with employment at the end as long as they’re successful with the training.

 

We’re trying to come up with a lot of innovative ways in collaboration with training partners, post-secondary, and our workforce partners to make sure we’re all hands on deck, all tools on the table - no pun intended, but it’s convenient - to make sure that we can train the number that we need here in Nova Scotia so that our companies have the workers they need and the projects can be filled with Nova Scotians. We create generational opportunities for young people to enter the skilled trades and be trained in a way that works for them and in a way that’s safe and secure so they can transition, if that’s their circumstance.

 

One more thing at NSCC. I think the other important part to talk about is the technical training role they play. We’ve talked a little bit about technical blocks when someone enters apprenticeship. That, of course, is when someone has to go back and do a specific set of training. We’ve spent a lot of time working with NSCC to increase the training capacity around technical training. It’s up this year to almost 6,200 spaces for 2026-27, which is an increase from last year around 5,500. All trains moving in the right direction for training providers in addition to NSCC.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Rankin, you have 10 seconds.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Well, thank you for that answer. (Laughter) I’ve got a lot more here, but I’ll wait for the next round.

 

THE CHAIR: I will now turn the microphone over to MLA Palmer with the PC caucus.

 

CHRIS PALMER: It’s great to see many of you again today. I’ve seen and met many of you at different events over the last few years. I’ve been very fortunate to have sat on this committee now since first being elected in 2021. It’s never lost on me the amazing work that many groups are making and working with our veterans and those who wear our uniform. Thank you for being here.

 

My constituency includes CFB Greenwood, so obviously a large veteran base around my area. I’m pleased that this initiative was launched. I was at the event in January - very pleased to be there, as well, for that.

 

We know transitioning from military life into civilian life is challenging, for sure, even with people who have technical skills coming out already. I guess my question would be: Can you walk the committee through the supports that are available through the Skills Bridge initiative? Let’s say I’m a veteran and I meet you at a transition event. Can you talk about, logistically, how we proceed - how that moves forward with that veteran as they want to pursue a career in the trades?

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: The transition process is complicated. A lot of our members are coming to us - they have been out for a while or they are serving reservists. Some are getting ready to get out. For each one, it’s individual. The advantage is that all of our people who are dealing with the veterans one on one have gone through that and understand the implications. They may be out for a couple of years.

 

What we do is we have a web-based system. Once we’ve met the members - and we don’t just talk at the transition seminars. We have very little opportunity to speak there now. We set up booths and hope people will come to us and talk to us about it. Our communications strategy is to get the message out.

 

Once they’ve heard about our program, they typically register for an account. They will give us a resumé, a proof of military service, and a pledge document talking about communication and connection. We want to make sure that they’re staying connected to us and we’re staying connected to them. Once we have all of that, we will set an appointment with them, and we will talk to them.

 

At that point, it’s about the individual - what their background is, what their skill sets are, what they’re looking to do. As I said in my opening remarks, not all members want to get out and do the same job that they did for the last 10, 15, 20, or 30 years in the military. A lot of the members are getting out in their early 30s and they have a full career ahead of them, so how can we help them to get into that? We talk about the supports that are out there and the programs we can tap into. The Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia have some great programs that we work with, and the Skills Bridge initiative is part of that, but there are other programs out there.

 

A lot of it is about how they can manage to get into that. What does Veterans Affairs Canada have to support them? That’s a Veterans Affairs question, not mine. But there are other support agencies out there to support them.

 

It’s a lot of individual one-on-one talking and spending time with them, and talking them off the cliff, because most military members get out without understanding what they’re bringing with them. The three key things that they bring with them are the ability to listen, the ability to learn, and the ability to lead. The employers are seeing that. The unions are seeing that. They love to bring them in and get them through that process as quickly as they can.

 

I can give you many examples of members here, even in Nova Scotia, who have gone through the process very quickly and have risen into senior leadership positions because of their training and background through the military.

 

Does that answer your question, sir?

 

CHRIS PALMER: My questions are a little general, so if there are other people who would like to answer any of the questions, please feel free.

 

We know the construction industry continues to face significant workforce pressures. We know the labour challenges that are out there. The government is committed to finding solutions to the pressures. I can tell you from working with the minister that he is definitely committed to finding solutions to those pressures, for sure.

 

I know, ADM Chouinard, you talked about what success would look like and the outcomes. Could you drill down a bit more on what success would look like for our participating veterans and employers as we’re building this trades economy?

 

[2:00 p.m.]

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: We talked a little bit about the agreement itself, but when I was thinking about the last question you just asked, this program - as well as many other workforce development programs, but we’re here to talk about this one specifically today - it comes down to people. Every circumstance is unique. Every person’s journey is going to be unique. Everybody’s second career is going to be unique. I think about an individual in my life, a neighbour, and she is approaching - I think she’s over 25 years in service. If you met her, you would say, “She’s military.” She lives it, she breathes it, she wears it. She’s approaching a retirement decision, and she’s made the decision to retire.

 

We’ve discussed many times about what’s next for her. Dave and I have talked about her before. I can tell that she is apprehensive, she’s nervous, she’s a bit scared. I’ve been trying to have some motivational conversations with her about, “You have so much to offer,” and also to acknowledge that it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be fearful. But you have a lot to bring. For me, of course, I want to see her in a beautiful second career. I want to see her contributing to Nova Scotia’s workforce challenge and the need that we have, and to contribute to the province and all those important things that we’re all here to talk about. But I want her to continue to feel like she belongs to a community, that she belongs in a new role in her life, and that she feels fulfilled as she has in her time in service.

 

Honestly, I think the power of belonging, the power of community, and the power of feeling proud about a second career is something that this initiative will bring to a lot of people. I hope that’s a pathway that she will find for herself as well. That’s how I best answer your question.

 

CHRIS PALMER: Maybe I’ll direct this question to Ms. Casey. You talked a little bit about being so happy to be part of this panel with your partners and the spirit of collaboration. So many times, it seems in government and working with so many different things, there are so many different silos happening. Can you talk about how important the collaboration is to making sure we get the best outcomes? In your experience, do you feel there’s been really good collaboration happening with different partners?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Casey.

 

ALISON CASEY: I’ve been with the organization for 13 years, and I’ve noticed industry-wide in the last five that there’s been more collaboration with industry partners, and in the last couple of years, the government partners that have come to the table to partner with us to ask for our feedback and opinion on programs and services that are being offered. There is so much alignment now.

 

When we talk about enhanced direct entry programs, those 8-week to 16-week programs, those are the bread and butter for people to get into our industry now. Our 300 contractors that I mentioned earlier, don’t have time to wait two years for a program to pump people out. The amount of development that we’ve seen in the last five or six years, we’ve heard from our contractors that we just can’t wait. Working with Trent and his team, and with enhanced direct entry, it’s all led by industry. What’s the demand? With the building trades, we only train for what’s needed. We want to make sure that all the people who are going through our programs have jobs at the end of it.

 

Our business managers for our unions have the really tricky job to have enough people on the bench, but not too many. When we talk about working with government and all the public procurement that goes along with the private investment, our ability to plan, to ensure that we have people that they need, that’s where Trent and I really collaborate heavily. This government, I can’t say enough in terms of providing us with not only financial investments for the first time in history for the building trades, but also the human element piece that Vanessa spoke to as well.

 

CHRIS PALMER: I was just going to ask if there were any other of our guests who would like to maybe chime in on that.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Thank you, Alison. I couldn’t agree more. Someone asked me once, “Well, why is government getting involved? Shouldn’t this just be employers training people?” Well, no. First of all, government holds a lot of levers that are important. We play a role as convenor. We sometimes play a role as funder. Honestly, we firmly believe that this is all hands on deck. This is industry. This is education, post-secondary. This is training providers. This would be sector councils. This would be employers direct. This is all levels of government. It’s economic development organizations. Everybody needs to come together with the oar that they carry to get us to the side where we need to get.

 

If it wasn’t for our partners - Building Trades, Sector Council, Helmets to Hardhats, of course, our own Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. They have a ton of partners, as well as community partners that we haven’t mentioned yet today, people like Women Unlimited, people like the Africadian Empowerment Academy, like the PREP Academy. It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort, and to us it’s absolutely critical that everybody’s around the table together to lean in together because we are certainly stronger as a collective and we will not get the outcomes for Nova Scotia if we do not all collaborate as we have been. We are very pleased and deeply appreciative of the time, the ideas, and the solutions that come forward from all of these players and partners at the table.

 

CHRIS PALMER: If I were in church, I’d want to say “amen” right now. (Laughter) Just before I pass it on to my colleague, I would like maybe to give a shout-out to the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council. My community has the mobile construction experience in Berwick this week, so any of the MLAs who would like to see hands-on young people being exposed to the trades, it’s a fantastic initiative. I know that’s reflective of a lot of the partnership that’s been put forward. A little shout-out to the exposure that we’re giving young people - middle-school students - to the trades. Again, all hands on deck.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Stoilov.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: Thank you all for being here today. It was a pleasure to meet everybody this morning. You’ve covered a few of my questions, but I just wanted to ask for more specificity. The first question I’d like to pose for everybody, but mainly to my member here to the left: The Skills Bridge initiative involves a lot, as we know, from career coaching to mentorship, apprenticeship, opportunities, placement opportunities, and many other things. Can you detail - I think you’ve elaborated on some of them - how each support is given to veterans, and how do you help them mainly overcome barriers to entering? I would assume that one of the major obstacles is barriers in entering the workforce for another career. What sort of things would you do there to work with that?

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: That is a very good and in-depth question. How many hours do we have? (Laughter)

 

As I’ve said, each case is individual. We do have experience. I served in the Navy for 36 years. I had young members who got out after one or two years. I had members who served their full career and got out. We understand what they’re going through. What we do is educate them. We spend time with them. We tell them about what’s out there. We work with a lot of different organizations and agencies out there that do provide these supports. We don’t provide them all ourselves. Why reinvent the wheel when there’s someone out there who has that wheel working? We will connect with them, we will collaborate with them so that we can overcome the barriers that are there, but there are some that are very difficult. The biggest one that I see is financial.

 

When a member gets out of the military, on very rare occasions, I understand they can draw unemployment or employment insurance. I’m not sure what it’s called now. I am older. They have to get out and find something right away. They need to find an income because most of them are married, have kids, have mortgages, have car payments. How do we do that? Working with the business local, with the local unions, they understand that as well. Part of my job is to educate them, let them understand what they’re dealing with and what’s coming their way. They work to try to get the members on a job site as quickly and safely as possible. Give them some training, get them out there so that they’re bringing money in and can meet those financial needs.

 

From the social and community side of things, socially, as I said, the unions are very similar to the military. They treat the people the same way. The new members are welcomed in, given the information, given a warm welcome in most cases to see what a second career looks like. The community side is interesting, because I hear a lot of veterans saying, “Listen, I’ve done my 20, 25 years. I want to get out now. I want to become a carpenter because I want to give back to my community.” They want to stay in the community they’re in. They want to have those skills so they can earn the money, but they also want to give back to the community itself. Where can I volunteer with some of these skills and give back? The community has supported me and my family for many years.

 

The member is not always there. I spent a lot of time away from home, and a lot of members of my community helped my family when I wasn’t around. Being able to give back is very high in a lot of veterans’ standards as well. Again, overcoming the barriers, there are a lot of organizations out there. We connect with a lot of them to find out what’s available and give them that information. Most of the veterans I talk to, the answer, when we give them some information like that, is, “I didn’t know about that.” We give them a lot of information to work with.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: I’ll go to you again with my next question only because - it’s open for everybody, obviously, but you mentioned earlier that you have many examples of success stories. I know the committee would love to hear one or two of them that come to mind. What’s a veterans success story?

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou. If you don’t mind, actually, I missed Mr. Soholt. Did you want to add an answer to that last one? My apologies for that.

 

TRENT SOHOLT: Just to add to some of the comments that have happened. First of all, I do appreciate the shout-out from MLA Palmer. The Mobile Construction Experience is having a blast down in Berwick right now and getting youth engaged. We spend a lot of time as a sector council trying to educate about awareness and opportunities in the construction industry. I know we’re focused heavily on trades, and that’s certainly a big portion of our industry. Seventy-eight percent of our industry is trades-focused, 22 percent is management-focused.

 

To the comment about how we’re engaging, to Mr. Giannou’s comment, it’s really by the person, giving them awareness of what the opportunities might be. An individual who’s coming out of service may say, “I want to get into employment right away.” We can go in a direct-entry opportunity. There are a lot of employers who do look at veterans, reservists, what have you, with skill sets that they don’t typically see in other individuals. A direct-entry opportunity is very quick. We have a team of industry community engagement coordinators who make that connection very quickly for that employment opportunity.

 

If they don’t want to pursue a trade and they want to look at management occupations, this program in particular helps us support individuals pursuing management roles as well. I mentioned earlier project management, estimating, as well as a variety of other different roles. Sometimes, we’ll get those phone calls or those inquiries to the office, those industry community engagement coordinators will say, “I’ve got an opportunity for you with Contractor X doing this type of work,” which may be more in the management space. We’re seeing some pretty interesting successes there, because again, that service, that awareness, that education, that life experience is helping to transition very quickly into a new role.

 

We’re very proud of the relationships that we have with Helmets to Hardhats. We’ll have phone calls back and forth. “Do you know if there’s an opportunity coming up in Greenwood?” or “Is there something coming up in that area that we might be able to connect with an employer?” “What are those opportunities going to look like?” If they do decide to go to a pre-apprenticeship - mentioned earlier on this side of the table at the community college - if they do want to go and do a one- or two-year program, they’re better educated on what that might look like.

 

[2:15 p.m.]

 

One of the things that we’re talking about very closely with Helmets to Hardhats as part of this program is to expand that awareness for individuals who have served. The Trades Exhibition Hall is an example in Halifax, just out in Beechville, Ragged Lake Business Park. It’s a facility where we’re able to help individuals see not only 39 construction trades but a suite of management occupation opportunities. They meet with industry professionals and become better informed of what is appealing to me as a career transitioner, and where do I want to go.

 

That’s something through this program we’re really hoping to help dispel some myths and clarify what those opportunities might be, so that if somebody, when they’re making that decision of, “What is my next step in my career,” it’s informed and there are supports then that go around that. Through the Construction Industry Supports Program, if there’s an absolute need driven by an employer, say in the insulator trade or the boilermaker trade or something that isn’t as well-known, we also do that awareness to make sure folks know they have an opportunity to pursue that as well.

 

That’s where the folks at Helmets to Hardhats are really helping to promote those opportunities as they come up, funded through the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration and the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. There are a whole lot of really amazing opportunities, depending on what the individual wants and the match with where industry is looking to fill that gap.

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Just one thing to add. When we talk about promotion, I think we would miss an opportunity to not promote the salary potential for these trades. We take an example - a lot of young people and parents, they know electrician, they know plumber, but they probably don’t know boilermaker, they probably don’t know the pipe trades, they probably don’t know gas fitter. We take boilermaker as an example. Just median wage, for example: $45 an hour, annualizing close to $100,000 a year. This is not just a job. This is a very lucrative career.

 

Make no mistake, I am sure that once those details are shared in promotion, it’s, “I want in on the 16- to 17-week training program.” If we don’t share more opportunities like this, about those details, how can we expect people to make these kinds of choices? Anyway, I wanted to take the opportunity to share that information as well.

 

THE CHAIR: I will go back to MLA Stoilov, if you wanted to ask the original question, because I think we were tidying up the end of your first question.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: I’d like to pass on to my colleagues to make sure everybody speaks.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Hilton.

 

NICK HILTON: Thank you, all, for being here today and thank you, David, for your service - much appreciated. I always start my comments by reflecting on what you guys shared in your opening statements. The first thing that was really obvious was the length of those statements and the fact that everyone spoke, and how collaborative that was. We don’t always get that in committee, so it’s really clear that the work you’re doing and the way you’re working together is being successful. I just want to give kudos to all of you for that.

 

Some of the other things, like when you mentioned that veteran-to-veteran contact, I’ve heard that on multiple occasions from talking to Legion members and people within my community. Through those conversations, there is no doubt that that is the best avenue for communication. I just remember talking to one veteran, and being able to share those stories with each other - there’s just something about that. As a layperson, I’ll just never understand and I have to respect that. I may never understand that, and that’s okay. Thank you for being there for everyone within our community. Someone else said that Nova Scotia is a good place to work and live, and I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for the work you’re doing there.

 

Just a quick question about the initiative itself. Maybe someone could tell me where that started. Is it based on another program? Who came up with the idea? Someone mentioned Seamless Canada. If you could share a little bit on that, just for my understanding.

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: Perhaps we’ll go with the origin of the idea, and then I’ll hand it over to ADM Chouinard or Ms. Kennedy. Where the idea started: It’s born out of our understanding of the disproportionate impact that veterans, reservists, and family members have on any economy, not to mention the economy of Nova Scotia. It’s imperative for us - Helmets to Hardhats - to have excellent working relationships with the government, with our partners at the table, to produce those effects.

 

We labelled a lot of things here today. We even took time to dissect those labels - “veteran,” “reservist,” “family member,” and “cadet” - but in aggregate, we’re looking at an asset-based population that is often overlooked. We’re looking at - and I’m certainly not picking on any MLA who asked great questions today - but there is a legal definition of “veteran” in Canada that is unlike any other.

 

We often think of veterans from an emotive aspect - a little more senior, a little more grey around my beard. I too served in the military; I rarely talk about that. We have to understand that need. At Helmets to Hardhats, we’ve identified that need. We’ve identified it pretty well. Where that collaboration comes from is working with governments and with partners across the table in order to take those ideas and see how we can do the analysis for region-specific impacts. Any arrangement or collaborative relationship we have across the country is born out of what is required for that population.

 

The last thing I’d say before I pass it on is that we have to remember that the needs are different across the country, not only from a unionized construction perspective or from how things are funded but also from a military perspective. I alluded to that a little bit earlier. Here in Nova Scotia, you have a bit of a confluence of that population. You have veterans, you have cadets, you have reservists, and you have, obviously, serving members. So when we do that analysis, that’s where the ideas come from - from a very collaborative perspective to ensure that we’re addressing the gaps that are presented today.

 

THE CHAIR: Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: I was happy to hear the history as well and the origins of this program.

 

I would say from an origin side of things for us here at The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration and here in Nova Scotia, for us, we’ve really been focusing on how we increase workforce participation across, perhaps, underrepresented groups, but also, what is the untapped potential out there? The needs are so deep, as we’ve talked about many times today.

 

As I mentioned, there was a point in time when it was, “Well, you go to the NSCC and you take a couple-years program and then you start to work” and things like that. But now we are firing on all fronts. That is one wonderful pathway that’s still available to people. But of course, we’ve talked about direct entry, where we connect individuals with employers and they then begin their apprenticeship journey through the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. We’ve talked about enhanced direct-entry programs that folks like the sector council on building trades do. There are other building trades, and I certainly invite Alison to speak about other training programs that Building Trades has, but they have other mainstream programs as well that they support at BTAC - a really incredible and impressive thing.

 

For us, it was “Where can we get the talent?” and given the leadership, the technical expertise, the problem-solving skills, the workplace discipline - just the ability and the proof points from Helmets to Hardhats and others, as Trent mentioned. We see a lot of military-connected individuals in careers in the construction trades and the other sector designated trades areas as well. This was just such a glaring opportunity. We were really thrilled to be able to partner on this specific initiative.

 

As for Seamless Canada - I haven’t forgotten about your question - that is a federal-provincial-territorial program that Nova Scotia has a leadership role in. Really, the focus is on reducing barriers and supporting families as they have to transition across the country. Maybe in some cases here they’re moving to Nova Scotia for this opportunity, and sometimes, unfortunately, they have to leave us and go elsewhere. It’s about reducing barriers and helping to support all fronts that they have to worry about, aside from their direct job or posting, to help support their children, families, education, transportation, things like that. It’s a really important part of the whole story and how we help support our military families.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Casey, I would turn it over to you, but there are 10 seconds left. We’re going to save that, put a pin in it for our second round. I believe the time for our second round is 30 minutes. We’re going to calculate 12 minutes and 30 seconds for the PC caucus and seven minutes and 30 seconds for the Opposition caucus. That’s six minutes and 30 seconds. MLA Wozney.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Shouldn’t it be 50-50? I think your math might need some adjustment, Chair. If there are 18 minutes, there should be nine for the government caucus and nine split between the NDP and the Liberals.

 

THE CHAIR: We do have some committee business, so we’re calculating for 25.

 

PAUL WOZNEY: Fair enough. It sounded like it was six and a half between the two of us. Apologies. I guess I’m on.

 

We’ve seen elsewhere in the country, like in Manitoba, that - I want to preface this remark. I take to heart comments from witnesses that Nova Scotia is a place that for many people who may get their start here, coming back to Nova Scotia after a career going hither and yon while in uniform has an enormous degree of attraction. That’s a major plus in terms of bringing home folks to Nova Scotia.

 

Of course, we have great hip hop here in this province as well. (Laughter) Above and beyond that, I think it matters that the Province turns its mind to being the best place in the country to work. There are certain respects where the construction industry in Nova Scotia ranks amongst the worst in the country in terms of a setting in which to find and maintain employment.

 

Leaders in the country, in terms of implementing things like community benefit agreements - where major projects and larger sectors like the construction sector requiring projects to contain an element of community benefits, where a certain amount of the labour supply to a project has to include labour from apprentices - policy can play a remarkable role in creating and sustaining opportunity for folks like veterans transitioning to careers in the trades.

 

Manitoba has made that a feature of its recent policy under Premier Kinew and his government. Ms. Casey and Mr. Soholt, I’m wondering if you can talk about the impact that government can play in creating opportunity, particularly for historically underutilized or excluded groups like equity-seeking groups, as well. How might community benefit agreements play a greater role in creating the opportunities like we’re discussing here today?

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Soholt. I’m going to call you an MLA. (Laughter) This is getting to be a crazy meeting. Sorry about that. (Laughter)

 

TRENT SOHOLT: I love the levity. It’s always fun. That’s a great question. I really appreciate that question. I was at a conference not too long ago, at the end of April. Nova Scotia and British Columbia were identified as the two nation leaders in community benefit activity. We were actually celebrated as doing things differently in many ways across the country and have been looked at from other jurisdictions, including the GTA, Ontario, and some of the other provinces, Manitoba being one, in wondering how we’ve implemented community benefit agreements into some of our construction projects.

 

The best example to give is the Cape Breton infrastructure projects, which had requirements as part of procurement for 25 percent of craft hours worked to be performed by registered apprentices - these were all key words as part of that contract language - as well as a 10 percent representative of underrepresented groups or equity-deserving groups.

 

[2:30 p.m.]

 

In doing that in Cape Breton, what we saw were some phenomenal champions for that work, both on the contractor side, the building trades side, and the community side. While the targets were understandably low for getting it integrated and what have you, there’s so much opportunity to see that grow across the whole province and into every publicly procured project.

 

It is with that evidence and intent that the industry has actually been a big champion of community benefit agreements, as well as part of procurement. There’s certainly more opportunity to do more, to systemize it more. In the appreciation of the topic today, it’s how we provide opportunities so that a brand new apprentice from a community group, a veteran, a reservist, or family member can actually see themselves starting and completing their apprenticeship journey on that project or with a sequence of projects that might see them move from one project to another. A huge opportunity but just do want to make a note that at a national conference, Nova Scotia was singled out as one of the top two in the country of actually doing some amazing work in the space.

PAUL WOZNEY: Just to piggyback on that, Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard, given the impact of community benefit agreements like the ones Mr. Soholt mentioned in Cape Breton, has the department looked at whether or not these kinds of agreements should be standard practice for all major infrastructure sites that government funds? I’m wondering if you can share the last time the department looked at this matter.

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Deputy Minister Grant, Minister Young, and I joined the department at the same time in January 2025. Soon after, when we came to meet Trent and others, we talked a lot about that experience in Cape Breton. We have been reflecting on what worked really well and the benefits of that approach through procurement and the community benefit agreements, and have been working with folks like Build Nova Scotia and procurement in the Department of Public Works to talk about that initiative and strategies like that. I would say there are active discussions under way on those types of strategies.

 

I think we’ve talked a bit today about the need for increased workforce participation by underrepresented groups in the sector in order to meet workforce needs. I think there are, as you highlighted, policy strategies that are going to be critical to help us. Similarly, there’s been a big movement on the policy front from a labour mobility perspective. We’ve heard Prime Minister Carney talk a lot about that and a call to action on provinces and territories to help to remove some barriers . . .

 

THE CHAIR: Order. Sorry. Your time for questioning has elapsed. I’ll move over to MLA Rankin with six minutes and 30 seconds.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Even less than last time. I did catch you say, Associate Deputy Minister, that you’re confident the Province will meet the need. I’m paraphrasing; I don’t want to quote you, but the need is humungous. We have roughly 8,000-plus construction workers who will retire in the next eight years - that’s public information - to start. Then as we learned today, the ICI sector is growing by 32 percent. Then we have the billions of dollars being invested in military. We’ve spent a lot of it around housing development and the need for more trades.

 

I’d like to know how the Province - we’re talking about 100 people, 100 seats, great program, but a drop in the bucket for what we will require in the next eight years to keep up with that demand. I’m surprised that there’s so much confidence. I know you mentioned myriad programs. Some of them have been around, some of them are new initiatives. I’m not as interested in the different programs; I’m interested in how the government is going to track this and actually meet the need and have the confidence that we are meeting the need, because it’s an economic imperative.

 

I don’t think that’s enough. I think we need to do a lot more of what Trent’s working on with the mobile units in the middle school. I think that every high school at this point should have a skilled trades centre so that the younger ages have access. We’re lucky that at Bay View High, we have a trade school there. We’ve since grown into a cooking division. They go to France and win awards. We need to get to the younger demographic, and quickly, to maximize this opportunity - the military sector, if the family’s involved, the participation rates, all that stuff. We have eight years to reach probably over 10,000 attachments to this sector. How are we going to get there? How is the government tracking that success year over year?

 

THE CHAIR (Ryan Robicheau): Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: I’m writing all that down.

 

IAIN RANKIN: You gave me a long answer. I gave you a long question. (Laughter)

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Listen, I welcome it. Exactly. Thank you for the question. As you’ve noted, a big demand. I don’t even think we have eight years, actually. There may be eight. There’s a lot of work to be done. Thankfully, the Province got a jump on this in 2023 with the investment of $100 million in the skilled trades. Thankfully, in terms of key targets from that, at that time, the goal was 5,000 new apprentices in three years. That would be by this time - October 2026. We’ve already exceeded that at 5,500. We’re surpassing our year-over-year journeyperson attachment. We’re seeing really great results from the investments so far, but I think the problem has just gotten bigger, even since 2023, with all the investment.

 

I think there is workforce participation, but there’s also retention. Retention does mean that we have to make sure we have the right fit for individuals entering the trades - entering the right programs and the right occupations. Of course, you would all be familiar, I think, with our $25-million investment in the Institute of Skilled Trades at the NSCC. That’s critical to make sure students are graduating workforce-ready on modern equipment. That’s really critical. As well, a $10-million investment in - and Trent mentioned the name of it earlier - the construction sector supports approach, where we do things like the enhanced direct-entry initiative.

 

To your very point on youth - he mentioned the Trades Exhibition Hall in Beechville. We’ve talked about the Mobile Construction Experience. We’re building a second Trades Exhibition Centre in Cape Breton as part of that initiative and a number of other youth - I think you’re bang-on. We have the O2 program, a high schools major, and 32 skilled trades centres - I know there’s lots more work to be done, but a tremendous number of centres across schools across the province - and also programs like Building Futures for Youth, where young people get to take a summer and they do basic training - safety training. They get to do placements and work placements and things like that.

 

There’s a tremendous amount of work. Of course, our Youth Skilled Trades Camps are huge. In fact, it’s a little bit, I think, like The Hunger Games trying to get in there because there is such high interest with those camps. What a great way for kids to get exposed to a number of programs.

 

In terms of how we’re doing our work, we’re coordinated like never before. In fact, Labour, Skills and Immigration, I think, administered a great number of programs. We’re stepping in a little bit differently now, given the mammoth size of the task ahead, to coordinate with, as I’ve talked about before, industry, government, training providers, economic development - and you know, our department, Growth and Development, Invest Nova Scotia - to make there’s a direct pipeline on when projects are coming to the Province. We get that from our industry partners as well as our economic development partners.

 

We have a workforce action table that represents Labour, Skills and Immigration, hosted by us, that represents all the key levers that we have, which would be things like, obviously, apprenticeship and skilled trades, our Nova Scotia Works, our other Employment Nova Scotia programming and other supports for industry. We have, obviously, immigration as a key lever. We have, obviously, employer engagement. Labour mobility is a key one, as well as our safety folks and our post-secondary.

 

It really has to be all hands on deck. As we track it - we are tracking the needs and trying to solve for those exact needs. We are in those stages of building that infrastructure to be able to meet the demand. How we will measure success is - we need to keep seeing those cranes. We need to keep seeing all of those projects actually land and get delivered on time when they need to. We are incredibly committed to doing so.

 

In fact, earlier today we were just meeting with someone - a defence lead - to talk a little bit more about the defence-related projects - the billions of dollars that are coming to Nova Scotia in defence spending, in infrastructure builds. I can promise you that everybody is running like 7.0 on the treadmill to make sure we can meet the workforce needs. We are very confident and committed.

 

THE CHAIR (Melissa Sheehy-Richard): MLA Rankin with 15 seconds.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Well, we missed the Ivany report 68-percent worker attachment in 2024. I believe we were around 63 percent. Correct me if I’m wrong. But that is one of many economic targets that have not been hit by that previous report. I would just encourage the government to start to look at targets for investment in this province.

 

THE CHAIR: Order. Now we’ll turn it over to the PC caucus.

 

MLA Hilton.

 

NICK HILTON: I’m just going to pick up where I left off with a few questions and thank you for your service as well. The only question I want to ask - and I’ll pass it over to my colleague, the MLA for Clare - is: We’re talking about defence now. What role do skilled trades play in Nova Scotia’s defence strategy, and how do you see this group interacting in that process?

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: I would suggest that the lion’s share of the value of the answer will come from ADM Chouinard. What we offer is the retention aspect. What we offer is knowing - we directly contribute to national security. That can’t be lost on anybody. Veterans are a dual-use citizen. They have roots in your community, from tip to tail of Nova Scotia, and they’re contributing directly to the national security of the country. When we look after veterans, the cost of a failed transition is, frankly, insurmountable. Again, we are contributing to national security, because veterans and family members have a place to go once they leave uniformed service. Whilst not directly a recipient of the defence dollars, it’s prudent for us to note our role in the human capital aspect of those defence dollars.

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: The defence strategy - there’s a lot of money coming. We talk about CFB Halifax, the dockyard, Stadacona, we talk about so much happening at Greenwood. Someone had mentioned it earlier today. The River-class destroyers, Halifax Gate logistics - that doesn’t even talk about the submarines and what will come on the Coast Guard. I know that’s still being scoped out. There’s a tremendous amount. When we think about those projects, there’s a construction phase and there’s an operation and maintenance phase. I know I’m really oversimplifying, but we have to think about it in those two frames.

 

If we think about the construction side, it’s a given. Skilled trades are at the crux of making sure everything that needs to be built actually gets built. When we think about then operating, think of the repair, the maintenance on ships, on infrastructure, on aircraft facilities, and all those things that support industrial operations. That all comes back to the skilled trades. Parents out there, please take note: Lots of job opportunities and career opportunities - most importantly - for your children as they’re making these decisions now in the month of June.

 

As we continue to celebrate and strengthen our position as the defence capital of Canada, it’s very clear that it all comes down to the skilled trades and the role that they’re going to play in all things: modernizing, building, and increasing our sovereign capability here in Nova Scotia.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Robicheau.

 

RYAN ROBICHEAU: We’ve heard that there’s a skilled trade shortage across the country. In your opinion, are things improving, and is this program helping the rebuilding part? Out of my own curiosity, what trades are the most in demand right now?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Yes, definitely shortages. As I’ve talked about, we began an investment of $100 million over three years in 2023. I think, as I mentioned, the challenge has gotten even greater, but we’re making really excellent progress. As I said, we’ve already surpassed our targets from that original investment, and we’ve added over 5,500 new apprentices and over 1,000 journeypeople per year, which is critical. We want to see individuals not just enter the apprenticeship system, but we want to see them complete. We need journeypeople, seasoned, skilled people to help support all the projects under way.

 

We have now almost 8,700 active apprentices involved in the system and over 2,700 employers. Those are wonderful numbers. We continue to grow those even more. We want those even higher, but we’re tremendously thrilled with the progress so far. In terms of what’s in demand, certainly, everything from - I have a little list here because I couldn’t remember it all - welders, pipe trades, carpenters, heavy equipment trades, electricians, millwrights, machinists, and automotive service techs - all those types of trades are in demand. I almost want to say everything. Anything anyone knows about, or we can tell them about, there’s an opportunity to be had. I’ll certainly invite Kim or Trent or Alison to highlight anything else they’d like to add there.

 

[2:45 p.m.]

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Soholt.

 

TRENT SOHOLT: The comment that there’s an opportunity for anybody in construction right now is so true. If somebody is really passionate about pursuing a certain occupation, there’s a place in our industry for that individual. In terms of which trades are in demand, it depends on geography. It does depend on projects. It depends on the nature of skills or skill alignment that the individual would have. We have some employers who are looking specifically for a Level 3 electrician, for example, and maybe not be looking for a Level 1 at this particular time. We have employers who are looking for new entrants into roofing. We have employers who are looking for whatever that specific need is for that particular project.

 

This is where it gets a little more complicated than just saying we have a mass labour shortage. We have skills alignment needs, we have planning that we need to do, and we have to do it with intention to best serve Nova Scotians in the right way as well, so that we’re not misleading somebody of opportunities that may not be in their backyard. The realities of the industry being mobile, often being done in sometimes rural parts of the province, which may not have a significant population to deliver on that project.

 

One of our roles at the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council is trying to make sure that we’re talking about the right opportunities in the right locations for the right individuals, and making sure that they’re set up for success. That’s what’s going to ultimately benefit as a province with all the investment that’s getting ready to happen in Nova Scotia.

 

RYAN ROBICHEAU: Our government has made significant investments in our veterans. That includes a big investment in my area with the Clare Veterans Centre. How do your organizations work with the veterans centres and the Legions across the province?

 

TRENT SOHOLT: I don’t know that I’m the best one to have the answer for that. Our industry very much looks at the opportunities to build, as a client, a service-provider relationship with opportunities of getting community members attached to projects and being able to recruit. I don’t know if anybody else from the witnesses might be able to add.

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: This is the third time it’s come up today. I would suggest that you start to think of Helmets to Hardhats as a bit of a hub-and-spoke model when it comes to support. We attend any military-connected event that’s happening across the province and nationally. We’re well informed to do that hub-and-spoke peer support informal referrals as is required. From unique bespoke initiatives to large national organizations, we’re well aware of all of these programs. We do not offer services ourselves, but we’re well positioned to help our clients navigate the complexities of the veteran landscape in Canada.

 

The other and final thing I would say before thanking you for that question is that we have to be mindful that often our clients fall within the gaps of several systems. We don’t have one clear client who’s navigating one system. By that I mean federal versus provincial. We’ve spoken about the reservists. We know that they’re taken care of under a provincial umbrella, as an example. Veterans are transiting that. Organizations like Service Canada are helping family members do that transition.

 

Helmets to Hardhats is invited to all of these conversations nationally in order to bolster our knowledge to provide that hub-and-spoke support for our clients.

 

RYAN ROBICHEAU: What feedback have you been getting from the employers who are hiring veterans through programs like Helmets to Hardhats?

 

THE CHAIR: Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: We are getting amazing feedback from the employers. I get calls from them regularly on how well our numbers are doing. The unions will connect them with an employer and hear how well they do, how quickly they progress, how quickly they take over a program and lead it.

 

The story I was going to tell for Mr. Stoilov is about a young man who joined the labourers union three years ago. His last job, they put him in charge of four workers they had there who were having difficulty getting along and working through. At the end of that project, the company went back to the labourers and said, “I want this guy back with his four-man team for the next project.”

 

We do well. We’re trained to lead. We’re trained to take care of our people. I hope that answers your question.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Robicheau with a minute and 30 seconds.

 

MLA Hilton.

 

NICK HILTON: Given that this program is set for three years, is there talk about what it will look like in the future? If we’re talking about expanding to needing 100,000 jobs in the near future - in the final 45 seconds - what does the future look like for this program?

 

THE CHAIR: Dr. Cathcart.

 

DARRYL CATHCART: If you don’t mind, I’ll take 20 seconds.

 

We want to build such a strong foundation that we’re welcome back - that we’re asked to come back and help out the Nova Scotia government and the population of Nova Scotia to do that. We’re setting the foundations today, and hopefully that partnership continues for some time to come.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you, everyone, for being here and getting through such an important and inspiring conversation today.

 

I welcome you to give some closing remarks before you leave, but I would ask if you could be mindful of time and keep them brief. We have a couple of committee items that we need to take care of.

 

Who would like to begin? Associate Deputy Minister Chouinard.

 

VANESSA CHOUINARD: Thank you to members of the committee. We appreciated the opportunity to speak with you today. This is a really important time to reflect, to hear ideas and questions, and to hold us accountable. We are incredibly dedicated to the work that we’re doing and proud to be here to talk about this workforce strategy that supports military members, veterans, reservists, and their families as they transition into civilian careers.

 

Skills Bridge, military trade equivalencies, apprenticeship supports, and NSCC training pathways are all things that help connect individuals with meaningful second careers and long-term opportunities. We will continue to collaborate with industry, the Canadian Armed Forces, employers, unions, training providers, and workforce partners as workforce demand continues to grow. We are here to meet the moment.

 

Together, we will support more Nova Scotians in building the skills, experience, and careers needed for the opportunities ahead. A big thank you for the servicemembers and their families for all they do to protect our sovereignty in this great nation.

 

Thank you very much for today’s discussion.

 

THE CHAIR: Did anyone else want to address the committee?

 

Mr. Giannou.

 

DAVID GIANNOU: I’ll make this very quick. First of all, I’d like to thank you all for your time today. Spending the time and the interest in veterans and what we can do for them and taking care of our people is very important to me personally and to our organization.

 

Thank you for your time. I look forward to our next meeting with you. Hopefully we can move this needle down a bit more.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you. You are able and free to leave the committee while we do our committee business. Again, I thank you for taking the time to come together so that we could ask some questions.

 

We will take a two-minute recess.

 

[2:53 p.m. The committee recessed.]

 

[2:55 p.m. The committee reconvened.]

 

THE CHAIR: Order. We’ll call the committee back to order. We do have a couple of items of committee business that you’ll see on the agenda. The first one I wanted to talk to you about was the letter that we all received a copy of from Dr. Blanchard thanking us for being a witness at a committee and asking to appear again. Usually, the direction of the committee is to discuss it at a potential next topic setting, but if anyone had any other comments with regard to Dr. Blanchard’s letter, then we will leave it for then.

Secondly, we did receive a piece of correspondence from our clerk, which was our draft of the letter that we had asked him to send to the honourable Minister McKnight at Veterans Affairs Canada. The idea was that we would review it and then respond whether or not we were okay with him to send. Apparently, I’m the only one who did. Is it the desire of the committee? I think there’s a copy of it in front of you. Are there any changes or amendments? Do we have permission to forward that on the committee’s behalf? (Interruption) Perfect. The clerk will send that off as requested by the committee at the last meeting.

 

That is it for committee business. I will remind the committee that it is July and August already. We don’t meet during those two months. Our next meeting date will be September 15, 2026. The topic and witnesses are to be determined to see how the clerk makes out with his witness asks. The meeting is adjourned.

 

[The committee adjourned at 2:57 p.m.]