Canadians thrown out of work by climate change programs can always get jobs as janitors, says a federal briefing note. The memo to Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the “green economy” will still require workers without “green skills," such as janitors and truck drivers..“Innovation in the green economy will require a core workforce with the latest training in emerging technologies or a different mix of skills and knowledge which may cumulate in new green occupations,” said the June 1 memo. “However not all jobs will require completely new skill sets.”.“Will workers need to focus on reskilling or upskilling to adapt to a new labour market following the transition to a low carbon economy?” said the memo Key Messages On Just Transition. “Some green jobs will not require workers with green skills to perform their jobs, i.e. janitor or driver working for a solar energy company.”.WATCH: Nigel Hannaford's take on the Just Transition.The memo said more than 2.7 million Canadians face “significant” disruptions in sectors that will be affected by climate change programs. “The transition to a low carbon economy will have an uneven impact across sectors, occupations and regions and create significant labour market disruptions,” it said..“We expect that larger scale transformation will take place in agriculture (about 292,000 workers or 1.5 percent of Canada’s employment), energy (about 202,000 workers or one percent of Canada’s employment), manufacturing (about 193,000 workers or one percent of Canada’s employment), building (about 1.4 million workers or seven percent of Canada’s employment) and transportation sectors (about 642,000 workers or three percent of Canada’s employment).”.“How many jobs will be lost in the oil and gas sector as a result of the Government of Canada’s climate change actions?” said the memo. “The answer to this question depends.”.Not “every job that exists in today’s economy has a perfect twin in a net zero economy,” wrote staff. “And it’s not to say the transition will not be accompanied by change and uncertainty for some workers and communities where the labour force requirements of the future will differ from those of today.”.Cabinet has yet to introduce legislation on their “just transition” program promised in 2015. This promised to retrain miners, oil and gas workers and others who stood to lose their livelihoods as industries complied with federal emission reduction targets. “That is something we intend to deliver early in the new year with respect to introduction of legislation,” Wilkinson said December 14 in Senate Question Period..Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco in a report last April 26 said 170,000 workers faced layoffs due to climate change programs..“Across Canada, more than 50 communities depend on these sectors while there are an estimated 170,000 direct fossil fuel jobs,” said the report Just Transition To A Low Carbon Economy. “The transition may affect workers’ wages, pensions and benefits along with municipal tax bases.”
