Extractive industry can address labour shortage with Aboriginal employees

In a recent panel
discussion, the Toronto Region Board of Trade joined with Kellie Leitch,
minister of labour and minister of Status of Women, to emphasize new employment
opportunities for Canadians in the growing extractive industry. “The extractive
industry is poised for significant and sustained growth, especially in the North.
To take advantage of our new economic opportunities, we are going to need all
our available talent at work. Under-represented groups, such as women and
Aboriginal people, provide employers with an excellent opportunity to address
their skills and labour shortages,” said Leitch in a news release. The
Aboriginal population could account for roughly four per cent to 5.3 per
cent of Canada’s population in less than 20 years. Previous censuses
have shown that the Aboriginal population is growing much faster than the total
population, a trend which is expected to continue through to 2031.