October 23, 2026
The Honourable John Zerucelli, P.C., M.P.
Secretary of State (Labour)
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Re: Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades Funding for AMEs
Dear Secretary of State Zerucelli,
On behalf of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represents Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) and aviation maintenance professionals across Canada, I am writing to urge the federal government to invest in the training and apprenticeship pathways that keep Canada's aircraft safe and in the air.
AMFA welcomes the recent skilled trades funding announcements. The more than $430 million for the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), and the Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund, announced by Minister Hajdu underscores that the federal government understands what is at stake when skilled workers are in short supply. We applaud you for your leadership.
However, these programs leave out Canada's AMEs. UTIP is framed around ‘partnerships in Red Seal trades,’ and its Investments in Training Equipment stream
requires that projects ‘solely support trades that are designated under the Interprovincial Standard Red Seal Program.’
AMEs are not a Red Seal trade because aviation falls under federal jurisdiction. AMEs are licensed by Transport Canada under the Canadian Aviation Regulations, after a structured program of approved training and documented hands-on experience. That is an apprenticeship in every way that matters. Because no province designates the trade,
AMEs fall through a gap that the current rules were never designed to address.
The result is that a union representing AMEs, an organization that matches UTIP's model in every other respect, cannot access the funds now on offer to help train the next generation of aircraft maintenance professionals.
The gap matters. Canada's airlines, cargo operators, air ambulance services and northern carriers all depend on AMEs, as do the defence and aerospace capacity the government is now working to build. Every aircraft that leaves the ground does so on the signature of a licensed AME. When there are too few of them, flights are cancelled, remote communities lose service, and maintenance work moves out of the country.
The government has set out to train a new generation of skilled workers to build Canada strong. AMEs should be part of that effort, not excluded from it on a technicality of jurisdiction.
We therefore urge you to champion:
- Broadening UTIP eligibility to include federally licensed trades such as AMEs, starting with the Infrastructure Expansion and Innovation streams now open for intake.
- Making aviation maintenance a recognized priority under the Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund, in partnership with Minister Hajdu.
- Working with Transport Canada and the provinces to give AMEs equivalent standing with Red Seal trades, so that future programs do not leave them out by default.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet again with you or your senior officials to discuss practical ways forward. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
Ian Evershed
Region IV Director, AMFA National
c. The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Jobs and Families
Leslie Church, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Labour)
