Today, our Chamber is launching a Workforce Advocacy Letter Campaign to highlight the urgent labour challenges facing Island businesses.
We’re asking members to help us amplify this message by personalizing a pre-drafted letter to their Member of Parliament.
Using our simple form, you can customize select sections of the letter. Once submitted, our team will send the completed letter on your behalf to the MP(s) you selected.
Click here to customize the letter and make your voice heard.
What We’re Asking For
We are urging federal support for:
- Closed work permit extensions (of 3 years) for non-permit resident employees who have been with their employers for more than a year – helping businesses retain skilled, experienced staff.
- A policy change to allow post-secondary students receiving Employment Insurance through the Career Connect program to be able to work up to 20 hours per week during the school year without penalty to their claims – improving flexibility of this program and supporting youth employment.
Why It Matters
Staffing shortages continue to put pressure on Island businesses. PEI’s aging population and negative natural growth are shrinking the labour force. While immigration has helped fill gaps, cuts to permanent residency allocations are causing employers to lose staff due to expiring work permits.
At the same time, we’ve heard from members that it’s difficult to find a local young adult workforce during the school year due to students on the Career Connect program not being able to work during the semester without it impacting their EI claims.
To ensure long-term workforce stability, we must retain newcomer workers and engage youth. Both are essential to meeting current – and future – labour needs.
We highly encourage members to participate in this letter campaign. The more voices behind this campaign, the stronger our message will be to the government.
