Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program

Under the Employee Training Program, eligible Manitoba employers affected by tariffs or market shifts may receive financial assistance of up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for eligible activities to retrain or upskill their workforce.

Employers may also be eligible for wage subsidies to support the participation of workers at risk of job loss in training (see Eligible Training Activities and Providers for more details).

The program helps employers:

• adapt to tariffs and market shifts
• pivot to new business opportunities
• support business recovery and maintain their workforce

Eligible employers must:

• be permanently established in Manitoba
• have been fully operational for at least one year when they apply
• identify whether they are participating in a Work-Sharing Agreement with the Government of Canada
• demonstrate how their business and workforce have been impacted by tariffs or related market changes (e.g., material cost increases, lost contracts, reduced export opportunities)
• demonstrate how the proposed training aligns with the program's objectives to support business adaption and recovery in response to tariffs or market changes, including enabling the business to pivot to new opportunities, maintain its workforce, and strengthen long-term resilience
• demonstrate that the proposed training will help support one or more of the following outcomes for their employees:
• retention of an employee in their current job
• transition of an employee to a new job
• return an employee to full-time work if on a Work-Sharing Agreement
• prepare an employee with skills required for new business opportunities
• prepare a recently hired employee for a previously vacated position due to a layoff
• operate within one of the following eligible North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes:



Category	Eligible NAICS Codes
Steel Industries	3311: Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 3312: Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel
Softwood Lumber Industries	113: Forestry and Logging 1153: Support Activities for Forestry 321: Wood Product Manufacturing 322: Paper Manufacturing
Other Tariff-Impacted Industries	11: Agriculture 23: Construction 31-33: Manufacturing 41: Wholesale Trade 48-49: Transportation and Warehousing

Training participants must:

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act who is entitled to work in Canada
• currently reside in Manitoba
• be a current employee of the applicant employer at time of training, including eligible, recently hired employees filling roles impacted by tariff-related changes

Ineligible training participants include:

• temporary foreign workers, international students, and other temporary residents
• family members who have been employed with the employer applicant for less than three months before the application submission date
• workers who currently have full-time permanent employment with another company

Eligible employee training activities must support one or more of the following five outcomes:

1. retention of the employee in their current job
2. transition of the employee to a new job
3. return an employee to full-time work if on a Work-Sharing Agreement
4. preparation of an employee with skills required to support new business opportunities
5. preparation of a recently hired employee for an available position that had been previously vacated due to layoffs

Eligible Training Providers:

Training may be provided by:

• an independent external training provider, or
• an internal (in-house) trainer

External trainers must:

• be separate and distinct from the employer with no conflict of interest
• have education and/or experience relevant to the nature of the training
• deliver training as their main business activity

Internal trainers are only eligible to deliver onboarding or training on proprietary products or internal processes. All other training must be delivered by an external provider.

Ineligible training activities include:

• professional growth and development activities that are not job-related, including consulting, coaching, mentorships, subscriptions, trade shows, conferences, annual meetings, networking or seminars
• leadership training
• training from providers that only offer training to a single employer, unless the training is specific to proprietary products or processes
• training from providers who are relatives of the employer (individual or corporation)
• training that has been or is being funded for the same training participant by another federal or provincial program

Eligible costs

Employers may receive financial reimbursement of up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for eligible activities to retain or upskill their workforce.

Training that takes place starting on or after April 1, 2026 is eligible for funding.

Eligible training costs include:

• fees charged by an external, third-party training provider
• mandatory student fees
• training-related textbooks, software and other training materials
• exam fees
• wages of internal trainers

Eligible wage subsidies:

• Up to 100 per cent of employee wages during training may be reimbursed to the employer if the employee is at risk of job loss.

Important: Wage subsidies are only available to employers who demonstrate at least a 10 per cent revenue decline over the past 12 months linked to tariffs (e.g., increased material costs, lost contracts, etc.).

Timeframes and reporting

Funding agreements cannot exceed 12 months in length.

Reporting frequency:

• Agreements of six months or less: Employers will submit a final report at project completion.
• Agreements longer than six months: A brief interim report at the six-month mark is required, in addition to a final report at project completion.

Interim reports will identify training activities completed to date.

To receive reimbursement, employers are required to demonstrate proof of payment for all project costs (including payroll records) at the same time they submit a final report documenting the completion of project activities. Employers that do not submit full reporting, may not receive full reimbursement.

All training participants must complete a consent form. Failure to submit the form will result in no payment for training costs or wage subsidies for that participant.

To avoid potential delays in receiving funding, employers are strongly encouraged to have training participants complete the consent form prior to the start of training.

Each training participant will receive a six- and 12-month follow-up questionnaire. Failure to answer the questionnaire does not impact the employer's agreement or payment.

What is the Employee Training Program?

This program helps tariff-impacted employers train their employees with the goal of helping employers reduce the risk of layoffs while they adapt to tariffs and changing market conditions.

Who can apply?

Manitoba employers in eligible industries who are affected by tariffs or market changes may apply. Employers must demonstrate how these impacts have affected their business and workforce and how proposed training will support adaptation, workforce retention or business recovery.

What kind of training is supported?

The program supports job-related training that helps employees build new skills, stay employed, or transition to new roles within the business. Training must support the employer's ability to adapt to tariff impacts or related market changes, including pivoting to new opportunities, maintaining their workforce and supporting business recovery.

What funding is available?

Employers may receive funding to cover up to 100 per cent of eligible training costs. Employee wage subsidies may be available to employers that demonstrate at least a 10 per cent tariff-related revenue decline.

Proposals of all sizes may be considered. Funding decisions will be based on the project's scope, rationale and expected outcomes to ensure that they are aligned with program objectives.

What if my business is not affected by tariffs?

If your business is not affected by tariffs, you may be eligible for other training supports, such as the Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP) which support workforce training more broadly.

How do I apply?

Employers start by submitting an intake form describing their business and proposed training. A Manitoba government representative will follow up with next steps if the employer is deemed eligible.

1. Intake Form
   Employers must complete an intake form to determine eligibility.
2. Eligibility Screening and Consultation
   A Workforce Development Consultant will review your submission and follow up with you to discuss your eligibility assessment and proposal.
3. Invitation to Apply
   Applicants that meet program criteria will be invited to submit a full application for funding consideration.