The Future Skills Podcast

In this episode of the Future Skills Podcast, we focus on Canada’s big build moment—when major infrastructure, industrial expansion, and nation‑building projects are converging with profound workforce pressures. Host Jeremy Strachan is joined by former Ontario Minister of Labour and Infrastructure Monte McNaughton to explore why apprenticeships, early pathways into the skilled trades, and labour mobility are essential as retirements accelerate and demand surges. We then hear from Mike Gordon, Director of Canadian Training of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, who unpacks why training quality, credential recognition, and national standards are critical to mobilizing a skilled workforce—without taking risky shortcuts. We close with Pari Johnston, President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, who makes the case for public colleges as the backbone of Canada’s skills ecosystem, and what it will take to deliver training at the speed, scale, and quality needed to prepare workers for an AI‑driven economy. 
Guests  
Monte McNaughton, Co-Chair, Future Skills Centre Resilient Workforce Working Table 
Mike Gordon, Director of Canadian Training, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters 
Pari Johnston, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada 
Links 
Future Skills Centre Homepage: https://fsc-ccf.ca/ 
Future Skills Centre LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fsc-ccf 
Future Skills Centre Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fsc-ccf.bsky.social 
Signal49 Research Homepage: https://www.signal49.ca/ 
Signal49 Research Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Signal49Research 
Signal49 Research X: https://x.com/S49Research 
Future Skills Centre Resilient Workforce Working Table: https://fsc-ccf.ca/engage/resilient-workforce-working-table/ 
United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters: https://www.uacanada.ca/ 
Colleges and Institutes Canada: https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/ 
Signal49 Research, Building Under Pressure: Skilled Trades Shortages and Rising Construction Costs. Ottawa, Signal49 Research, November 24, 2025. 
Statistics Canada. Changes in the population of tradespeople between 2016 and 2021. Education, Learning and Training Research Paper Series, September 26, 2024.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2024002-eng.htm

In this episode of the Future Skills Podcast, we tee up the new season by diving into Canada’s hinge moment for talent, productivity, and resilience by revisiting some of the key themes from A Future Built on Skills. This one-day hybrid event from October 2025 brought together thought leaders in skills, training and workforce development. We’re joined by the Future Skills Centre’s Noel Baldwin in conversation with the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, exploring an all‑hands‑on‑deck approach to workforce resilience—why soft skills, apprenticeships, and work‑integrated learning matter as major projects and trades demand surge. Then J.P. Giroux, President of the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, takes us onto the factory floor to unpack how automation and AI are reshaping roles, why SMEs must treat training as strategy, and how a culture of continuous learning drives real productivity gains. We close with Professor Wendy Cukier, Academic Director and Founder of the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, who makes the case for a national skills agenda centered on SMEs, inclusion (EDI), and scenario planning for AI, and what a blueprint for preparing Canada’s workforce for 2026 and beyond looks like.
Guests
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, Government of Canada
Noel Baldwin, Executive Director, Future Skills Centre
J.P. Giroux, President, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium
Wendy Cukier, Academic Director and Founder, Diversity Institute

This is Jeremy Strachan, your host of the Future Skills Podcast, brought to you by the Future Skills Centre. You may have noticed that The Conference Board of Canada's changed it's name. We’re now Signal49 Research. This new name reflects a guiding signal in times of uncertainty; a dependable beacon that leaders can rely on to navigate complexity. Inspired by Signal Hill in Newfoundland and Labrador, and with a nod to Canada and the 49th parallel, it embraces the spirit of innovation and anchors us in a distinctly Canadian point of view. Learn more about what our new name means at signal49.ca.
 Meanwhile, stay tuned for Season 6 of the Future Skills Podcast, with new episodes coming this spring and summer where we explore what matters most to Canadians when it comes to skills, training, and the ever-changing world of work.

In this episode of the Future Skills Podcast, host Jeremy Strachan explores the complex and evolving landscape of skills development and workforce training in Northern and Indigenous communities. Amanda Thompson from Signal49 Research shares insights from the Learning from One Another project, a multi-year initiative examining labour market trends and training strategies across Yukon, Nunavut, and Northern Ontario. We also hear from Kris Mullaly of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, who discusses the Q-STEP program and Tuttarvik—community-driven initiatives that are empowering Inuit youth through culturally grounded training and employment supports. Finally, Xina Cowan of EntrepreNorth highlights how entrepreneurship is creating new pathways for economic resilience and self-determination across the North.
Guests
Amanda Thompson, Lead Research Associate, Signal49 Research
Kris Mullaly, Program Manager, Qikiqtani Inuit Association
Xina Cowan, Co-Director, EntrepreNorth

In this episode of the Future Skills Podcast, host Jeremy Strachan explores how self-employment and entrepreneurship can serve as powerful pathways for neurodivergent Canadians to thrive in the workforce. Jennifer Fane from Signal49 Research discusses her Future Skills Centre-funded research on barriers facing neurodivergent entrepreneurs and the need for tailored support programs; Wanda Deschamps, founder of Liberty Co. and openly autistic entrepreneur, shares her perspective on shifting the narrative from accommodations to strengths and the importance of neuroinclusion in business; and Brad Loiselle, CEO of Skills Council of Canada, reveals how “dyslexic thinking” has fueled his serial entrepreneurship success, from building North America’s largest wrapping paper business to creating innovative educational platforms. 
Guests
Jennifer Fane, Lead Research Associate, Signal49 Research
Wanda Deschamps, Founder and Principal, Liberty Co.
Brad Loiselle, CEO and Founder, Skills Council of Canada
Links:
https://www.signal49.ca/product/neurodivergent-self-employment-resources_mar2026/