Rebuilding the Canadian economy in a time of crisis presents a generational opportunity to redefine how our businesses operate and thrive. In a recent article, CBC News senior business reporter Peter Armstrong outlined the four challenges that must be addressed if Canada is to remain competitive and productive:

Speed up approvals of natural resource projects:

Few question the need to expand Canada’s energy infrastructure. Streamlining the process is also a priority. Most Canadian energy CEOs have called for overhauling the regulatory process to remove barriers to fast approval.

Remove longstanding interprovincial trade barriers:

The federal government estimates that removing these barriers could save up to $200 billion annually. Additional benefits include improved productivity and lowered business costs. The C.D. Howe Institute agrees, stating that this could raise Canada’s GDP by 7.9%.

Manufacture military equipment in Canada:

Meeting Canada’s stated military spending target of two percent of GDP will cost $12 billion annually. According to David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, every dollar spent on defence in Canada will create two jobs and generate an additional two dollars in direct and indirect economic activity.

Optimize Canada’s AI Advantage:

With the burgeoning AI industry’s thirst for energy, Canadian hydroelectric power arguably offers the best solution.  Moreover, the AI industry is currently well established in this country. Two of the field’s foremost pioneers, Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, are leading researchers at Canadian universities. 

The Key to Canada’s Economic Transformation: Learning and Development

While each of these objectives is an unquestionable priority, L&D professionals would likely add a fifth, which I’d argue should be on top of the list: upskilling and reskilling our Canadian workforce. Learning is the engine that drives our success in achieving the short- and long-term goals. It is the key to rebuilding the Canadian economy.  

The 2025 LinkedIn Learning Report supports the importance of workplace learning, highlighting three key priorities for Canadian businesses: career-driven learning (offered by organizations that are career development champions), AI-powered skill-building, and internal mobility opportunities.

Learning and Development are Also Critical to SMEs

While the report focused on large enterprises, I think it is equally relevant to the SME sector. The report is timely: Nearly half of learning and development professionals surveyed see a critical skills gap emerging in their organizations. An equal number agreed that executives are concerned that employees lack the necessary skills to execute business strategies effectively. 

To counteract the challenges of rapid change, companies must invest in career development to foster loyalty, energize the workforce, and spark innovation for the next era of work. Can SMEs work together with educational groups to achieve the same?

Career Development Drives Positive Business Outcomes

The numbers speak for themselves. The report classifies 36% of companies as career development champions. These organizations deploy at least 33% more career development tactics than their competitors, including leadership development programs and initiatives that promote internal mobility. The payoff? A striking 100% of career development champions report positive business outcomes, measured by new skills delivered and increased internal mobility.

The divide becomes even more apparent regarding Generative AI (GAI). The report reveals that 51% of career development champions consider themselves frontrunners in GAI adoption, compared to 36% of organizations with weaker or no career development initiatives. Moreover, career development champions are 42% more likely to be GAI leaders, underlining the connection between targeted skill-building and the technological leap Canada must make to gain a competitive advantage.

The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI Must Become a National Imperative

If the report has one takeaway, it’s this: Rapid adoption of GAI across many business areas is an essential productivity driver. You either embrace it or resign yourself to falling further behind in the global productivity race.  

The path to becoming a career development champion has challenges. Many organizations cite systemic barriers such as limited time, resources, and support for implementing career development programs. However, AI offers a viable solution by delivering on-demand, personalized learning experiences that are both scalable and specific.

The LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report Recommends Three Strategic Steps to Build Career Development Champions:

• Build the Right Skills Faster: Utilize AI to create an agile skills ecosystem that delivers targeted learning at scale.
• Facilitate Internal Mobility: Ensure employees can move more easily within the organization and access internal job postings and developmental opportunities.
• Measure Business Impact: Define metrics that quantify the productivity and profit benefits. Tailor messaging to specific departments to demonstrate how these initiatives drive organizational success.

In 2025, the most successful Canadian businesses will embrace career development, GAI, and internal mobility to build a more skilled, adaptable, and innovative workforce. Rebuilding the Canadian economy in a time of crisis is also a generational opportunity. The question is, will Canadian L&D providers and the companies they serve seize it?