COLLEGES AND INSTITUTES CANADA
Meeting Canada's Moment

A federal election is two weeks away and Canada is at a turning point. The next government will shape Canada's future, setting priorities on everything from housing and workforce development to resource development and global competitiveness.

For any government to succeed in delivering on its promises, Canada's public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs and polytechnics are essential.

Coming Together When It Matters

At CICan, we work year-round with the federal government to ensure our members have what they need to thrive

That means bringing a unified national voice for the sector to Ottawa, working with the right people and partner organizations, shaping the right policies and investments, and implementing the right supports to empower our sector to continue doing what we do best: anticipating future needs, and delivering accessible, adaptable, and sustainable training, education, and applied research solutions across the country to meet Canada's biggest challenges.

In everything we do, we bring our members together to share knowledge, drive innovation, align efforts to drive bold, lasting impact, and Election 2025 is a pivotal - and consequential - moment.

• That's the rationale behind our inaugural Leaders Summit, taking place next week. We're bringing sector leaders - and partners - together at a critical moment for our country.

This national dialogue will ensure our institutions are ready to collaborate with whoever forms government - thinking proactively and strategically about what Canadians need from us, and how we can build coalitions of the willing and meet the moment together. 

Canada's Challenges, Our Solutions

Supporting Team Canada - building, training, growing, making, and powering the jobs and solutions that drive this country - and public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics go hand in hand. We are responsive, adaptable, deeply embedded in communities and working directly with employers in every part of the country.

Canada's major parties have started outlining their election platform and promises, and nearly every key election issue connects to our work and the very challenges we help solve every day.

That's why investing in our institutions is essential for lasting, meaningful impact. 

On Building and Making Things at Home

• Construction and Homebuilding: There are currently close to 65,000 students training at colleges and institutes to become our future construction workers and engineering technicians, building better homes faster. Plus, they also offer over 300 pre-apprenticeship programs that train skilled construction workers Canada urgently needs. 

• Food Supply: Colleges and institutes offer 164 agricultural programs - including crop sciences, farm management, and greenhouse technologies - that train workers and business owners to grow food for Canadians.  

• Plus, through nearly 3,000 applied research projects, our sector works with Canada's manufacturers and producers to improve the way we make and grow stuff in Canada, for Canadians. 878 of these projects were specifically tied to supporting Canada's natural resource sector and agricultural sectors. 

• Healthcare and Social Services: Close to 100,000 students are trained through over 1,100 college and institute programs in healthcare, including close to 300 nursing programs. With shifting demographics and an aging population, college and institute-led innovation in seniors' care and social innovation is more important than ever.  

• Defence and Public Safety: Colleges and institutes also play a crucial role in offering certified training for high-demand occupations within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and supporting veterans, reservists and their families transitioning to civilian careers. And, close to 22,000 students are trained in security and protective services, including 14,901 in criminal justice and corrections. 

On Global Trade and the Economy

• Supply Chains: Colleges and institutes keep Canada's supply chains moving with over 1,500 manufacturing-related programs. We train the skilled workers technicians, engineers, and specialists who design, build, and maintain the systems that manufacture and move the goods that Canadians rely on every day.  

• Transportation: From aerospace and automotive manufacturing to rail and trucking logistics, our job-ready graduates are essential to keeping supply chains efficient, smart, and resilient - and helping Canadian businesses get their products to market.  

• Global Partnerships: Our sector builds capacity, shares best practices, and delivers consistent, high-quality training that connects Canadian employment-based education with the world. This work positions us as a leader in skills and workforce development, innovation, and sustainable development. As global markets shift, leveraging all of our assets and networks abroad will be key in market diversification.

On Productivity and Competitiveness 

• Resilient and Efficient Industry: With nearly 700 research labs across Canada, colleges and institutes partner with Canadian industries (especially SMEs) to develop innovative, made-in-Canada solutions.  

• As tariffs impact business operations, college and institute applied research centres also help businesses pivot to new markets and source alternative components - and provide market analysis that ensures business can continue to provide the essential products and services Canadians depend on. 

• Derisking Technology Adoption: These collaborations - with a focus on derisking new product, process and prototype development - give Canadian manufacturers a competitive edge, boost productivity, enhance automation, and help businesses navigate market shifts, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes.  

• Digital Skills: As innovators, our institutions are always looking forward and central to building Canada's digital infrastructure. We provide accessible and cutting-edge training and relevant industry-ready skills for the digital economy, while leveraging AI tools to transform programs to meet Canada's digital imperative. 

• Energy Production and Transformation: To meet Canada's energy objectives, colleges and institutes lead in skills training to drive Canada's energy transformation and grow our capacity in alternative energies like nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro, and to support existing industries to get energy to market. Federal investment in our institutions drives energy transformation while balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility. 

• Natural Resources: We lead in skills training, research, and sustainable solutions in high-demand sectors like mining and critical mineral extraction and processing to support growing industries like semi-conductors and EV production.  

Ready to Support Team Canada

While the future is uncertain, CICan and its members are committed partners on Team Canada. As Canada's most accessible public training network, we are Canadians' safety net, ready to collaborate and support the priorities shaping Canada's future.

This election is a key moment for Canada and we're here to meet it.

Read more

• Factsheet: Supporting Team Canada
• Blog: A Stronger Canada Starts Within: How Colleges and Institutes Build National Resilience
• Blog: Scaling Solutions, Building Our Workforce
• Blog: Building Canada's Edge in Trade, Talent, and Innovation
• Blog: A United Public College Sector Supports a Strong and Resilient Canada
• Pre-budget Submission: Building a Strong and Resilient Canada