Energy Plan - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

An available and diverse workforce is critical to the success of our energy
projects and the growth of the provincial energy economy. For large-scale projects
fully within our regulatory jurisdiction, the Provincial Government will require
proponents to include employment plans for women, stating corporate objectives
to achieve employment equity for women in all project phases. Employment
equity will give women equitable access to all employment opportunities and
eliminate barriers that create discriminatory practices.
These employment plans would outline the elements of an employment
equity program, set quantitative goals to achieve employment equity and set
qualitative goals that identify barriers to be eliminated. These plans would
also specify any special policies and practices to achieve employment equity
and outline the proponents’ plans to report on progress. For projects where
jurisdiction is shared with the federal or other governments, as in our offshore,
the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will work to obtain agreement
for similar requirements.
In preparing these employment plans, proponents will need to consider the
current and projected availability of women for jobs associated with an energy
project. Greater availability of women will exist in some occupational categories
than others. Special measures to attract and secure women for occupations
where women are under-represented will be required. Employers will be required
to set initial goals based on the availability of women in these occupational
categories, as identified by Statistics Canada’s Employment Equity Data Report,
and longer term goals to increase representation of women in each occupational
group where under-representation has been identified. The plan as a whole
should be sufficiently comprehensive and well-designed to achieve a more
gender–balanced workforce within a reasonable period of time.
These steps exemplify the province’s efforts to ensure that women can more fully
participate in the energy sector. The Provincial Government remains committed
to removing barriers that face women.
Energy Innovation
Innovation is about finding new ways of doing things. It includes doing familiar
things in new ways, or doing something new altogether. Innovation can also
help us adapt to change and even turn challenges into advantages. In the
energy sector specifically, it includes developing new and better ways to find
and develop our resources. It brings us ever closer to developing resources
that were previously out of reach, or simply not feasible.
Although Newfoundland and Labrador is a relatively small community, we are
fortunate to have several world-class research, development and innovation
facilities. The most notable are our “Centres of Excellence” - including those
at Memorial University, the Marine Institute, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and
College of the North Atlantic. As a result, Newfoundland and Labrador is already
recognized as a world leader in marine science and ocean technology.
POLICY
ACTIONS
Professional and Skilled
Workers
The Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador will:
• Develop a strategy to retain
our educated and skilled
workers that will:
• Encourage continuous
employer-driven investment
in job training and skills
upgrading.
• Encourage higher
enrolment and graduation
rates for post-secondary
institutions.
• Address specific labour
market challenges related
to retention in the energy
sector.
• Require large-scale energy
project proponents within
our jurisdiction to include
employment plans for
women that address
employment equity and work
with other governments to
accomplish the same goal
where resources are jointly
managed.
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