The Labour Market Agreements: What Did They Really Do? /

The LMAs were highly flexible instruments that allowed provinces and territories to prioritize whom to serve, the interventions on offer, and how to manage and organize the services. [...] The introduction of the new program and the cancellation of the LMAs also contradicted a pan-Canadian evaluation that had confirmed a strong and continued need for LMA-type programming [Employment and Social Development Canada 2011]. [...] Notwithstanding the eventual capitulation of all but one of the provinces and territories, was there any real reason for replacing the LMAs in the first place?. [...] The analysis draws on the 108 LMA annual provincial plans and reports released over the lifespan of the agreements, a single national report, a pan-Canadian evaluation, and Québec’s separate evaluation and annual reports. [...] However, in keeping with the key objectives of the LMA – meant to be incremental and serve clients excluded under the LMDA – there was a detailed list of clients eligible for the programming about whom the provinces and territories were expected to track and report.