Prime minister faces mounting pressure to step aside from inside caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face mounting pressure from his caucus this week to step down from the leadership of the Liberal party.
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are "good news," but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.
Last month, Canada's unemployment rate fell for the first time since January by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5 per cent, according to Statistics Canada in its Labour Force Survey for September released Friday. The figure had risen 0.2 percentage points in August.
In addition, StatCan said the economy added 47,000 jobs in September, up slightly by 0.2 per cent, after four straight months of little change. Employment rose among youth aged 15 to 24 and women aged 25 to 54. Job increases were seen in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia, while declines were experienced in British Columbia and New Brunswick.
While Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada, called the job growth numbers "good news," he said the decrease in the employment rate is a concern. The employment rate, the percentage of the population aged 15 and older who are employed, fell 0.1 percentage point to 60.7 per cent, according to StatCan. This is down from a peak of 62.4 per cent in January and February 2023.
Although job growth has been "pretty good," Antunes said, the number of people entering the workforce has grown even more.
"This is because we have opened up a lot of immigration, a lot of temporary foreign workers. So, we've seen essentially the employment rate decline and the job market slackening," Antunes said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Friday.
The unemployment rate's decline last month still suggests a "fairly slack labour market," he added.
"Now the government is intending to put the breaks on temporary foreign workers and essentially non-permanent resident immigration," he said. "I think that is going to continue to tighten up the labour market as we go forward even in a soft job-generating environment."
Recently announced changes to the temporary foreign worker program went into effect last month.
To see the full interview, watch the video above.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face mounting pressure from his caucus this week to step down from the leadership of the Liberal party.
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
In a rare occurrence, a bona fide great white shark washed up on a B.C. beach Thursday.
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are 'good news,' but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.