Communities across Canada need a national strategy to ensure the move to a zero-carbon economy leaves no one behind. For the first time, the report Making Decarbonization Work for Workers: Policies for a Just Transition to a Zero-Carbon Economy in Canada uses census data to identify the regions in each province with the greatest reliance on fossil fuel jobs.
This report makes the following recommendations to Canadian governments to ensure the transition to a zero-carbon economy is equitable, productive and just:
1. Develop a national economic strategy, in partnership with labour and industrial stakeholders, that co-ordinates public spending on the zero-carbon economy with workforce (re)development initiatives.
2. Promote growth and equity in the workforce by strategically investing in apprenticeships and vocational training for the zero-carbon economy.
3. Enhance social security programs to better support workers in any industry facing job loss and retraining costs.
4. Provide targeted just transition policy packages to fossil fuel communities.