Ottawa, February 1, 2025 – Canada’s public colleges and institutes train the vital workers Canada needs; they help local businesses innovate, adopt and adapt new technologies, and become more productive and efficient; and they build communities by training the service providers Canadians depend on.
When it comes to housing, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, energy and natural resource development, our graduates are the boots on the ground we need to build, make, and grow a strong and resilient Canada.
In times of economic crisis, such as today’s announcement of US tariffs on Canadian exports, it’s important that Canadians come together and marshal all our strengths and capacity in a coordinated response. Canada’s public colleges and institutes stepped up during COVID-19 to support their communities, and our sector stands ready to support Canadians, Canadian businesses, and the country through this storm.
Our 135 members understand – and embrace – their role as responsive and agile educators and trainers, ready partners in applied research and innovation, and cutting-edge facilities for local industry.
Now, tomorrow, and in the coming weeks and months, our public colleges and institutes are ready with ways to support Canadian businesses, workers, learners, and consumers to meet this major economic challenge and build a stronger and more resilient Canada.
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About Colleges and Institutes Canada
CICan is the national and international voice of Canada’s largest post-secondary education network. It advocates, builds capacity, and drives knowledge to strengthen Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics to meet Canada’s biggest challenges. With more than 95% of Canadians living within 50 km of a member institution, and thanks to its extensive reach around the globe, CICan works to future-proof communities in Canada and abroad.
We respectfully acknowledge that CICan’s offices in Ottawa are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation.
For more information
Matthew Smith
Director, Communications
Colleges and Institutes Canada
Email: msmith@cican.org
Twitter: @CollegeCan