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What's coming. Starting November 16, 2026, the federal government will accept applications for the Red Seal Completion Bonus. The amount: $5,000 for each certification earned in a designated Red Seal trade since April 1, 2025, up to a maximum of $50,000 per person. The Red Seal is a common standard that lets you work in a skilled trade in the participating provinces and territories.

Who qualifies. The eligibility page sets five conditions. Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person. Not be a high school student. Have completed an apprenticeship program as a registered apprentice in a designated Red Seal trade, and be a certified journeyperson in that trade. Apply within the deadlines. Provide the supporting documents required for your province or territory: the federal government says those details will be published later.

The deadlines. If you were certified between April 1, 2025, and November 15, 2026, you have until May 31, 2027, to apply. If you are certified on or after November 16, 2026, you have 12 months from your certification date. Watch the second, shorter deadline: once you start an application, you have 28 calendar days to send your supporting documents, or you will need to start a new application, according to the same page.

What to gather now. The October 23 news release lists it: your Social Insurance Number (SIN), your mailing address, an email address (optional but recommended), your banking information for direct deposit, the name of your trade and your certification date, the province or territory where you were certified, and your apprentice identification number. Permanent residents whose SIN starts with 9, and protected persons, will also need to provide proof of their status in Canada.

What about Quebec? The federal pages don't name any province: they ask for proof issued by the province or territory where you were certified. In Quebec, according to Québec.ca, the certificate of qualification is issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale or by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ). Since the list of documents by province hasn't been published yet, check the program page again before you apply.

The old grants are over. Québec.ca also notes that the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant ended on March 31, 2025, and no longer accept applications. The new bonus covers certifications earned from the next day, April 1, 2025.

Quebec income tax. In August, Quebec's Ministry of Finance announced that this bonus will be included in your income for the year you receive it, with Quebec tax withheld when it is paid (Ministry of Finance release, in French). So the amount you receive will be less than $5,000, and you will need to report it. We covered this change in an earlier article.

Good to know for newcomers. The bonus isn't available to people who only hold a work or study permit: you must be a citizen, permanent resident or protected person. If you've become a permanent resident and your SIN still starts with 9, plan for the proof of status. Our guide to the Social Insurance Number also explains what a SIN starting with 9 means. To see which trades are short of workers in Quebec, see our guide to in-demand jobs.

What's changing. Employment Insurance (EI)'s temporary measures were due to end on October 10, 2026. The federal government extended them through regulations that came into force on October 11, 2026, and added a new one. EI is a federal program, so these rules apply everywhere in Canada, Quebec included. The Government of Canada sums them up on its page on EI temporary measures, updated October 6.

Still no waiting week. Normally the first week of unemployment is unpaid: it's the waiting period, a bit like an insurance deductible. It stays waived for all new claims that start between March 30, 2025, and October 9, 2027. So you get paid a week sooner.

Your severance still doesn't delay your benefits. Usually, money you receive when a job ends (vacation pay, pay in lieu of notice, severance pay, closure bonuses, sick leave credits) is spread over the following weeks, which pushes back your benefits. If your claim or that allocation starts between March 30, 2025, and October 9, 2027, these amounts are not deducted from your benefits.

New: only your last separation counts. Until now, if you had quit a job without just cause, or had been dismissed for misconduct during your qualifying period, the hours from that job weren't used to establish your claim. For a claim that starts between October 11, 2026, and October 9, 2027, only the reason for your most recent separation is examined. If you lost that last job through no fault of your own, for example in a layoff, all the insurable hours in your qualifying period count.

Up to 20 more weeks, but only until June 12, 2027. Long-tenured workers can receive 20 additional weeks of regular benefits, up to a maximum of 65 weeks, if their claim starts between June 15, 2025, and June 12, 2027, and they have already received at least one week of regular benefits. To be "long-tenured," you must have received fewer than 36 weeks of regular or fishing benefits in the three years before your claim, and have paid at least 30% of the maximum annual EI premiums in at least 7 of the previous 10 years. If you qualify, the weeks are added automatically.

Good to know for newcomers. The 7-out-of-10-years contribution test rules out of the 20 extra weeks anyone who has paid EI premiums for fewer than 7 years. The other three measures, though, apply to anyone eligible for EI, however long they've worked in Canada. The advice hasn't changed: apply as soon as you stop working. For the basic conditions (insurable hours, record of employment), see our guide to Employment Insurance.

What's changing. Rénoclimat, the Quebec government's financial assistance program for home renovations, has a new version since October 1, 2026 (in French). It now has two parts: a simplified energy-efficiency part, and a new adaptation part to protect your home against flooding. The assistance is for homeowners. The government's English Rénoclimat page refers readers to the French section for details.

Against water, even outside a flood zone. The new adaptation part has a simplified path, open to principal residences and multi-unit residential buildings, that pays for prevention work: up to $1,000 to install a submersible pump with a battery, $700 for a backwater valve and $800 for a removable cofferdam, a barrier you put in front of an opening when water rises.

In a flood zone, an assisted path. Homes located in a flood zone have access to a second path. It must start with a climate resilience diagnostic, covered up to $1,000. The recommended work (protecting the foundation, sealing openings, raising the house, and so on) is then funded up to $35,000 or 75% of eligible expenses before taxes. The page says the list of professionals recognized to do this diagnostic will be published soon.

Energy efficiency: simpler. The energy evaluation before work is no longer mandatory, but it's still recommended, and it's now covered up to $500. For a house, the maximum amounts are $2,000 for roof insulation, $7,000 for exterior walls, $2,500 for the foundation and $300 per window, up to $4,500. Two new measures, for principal residences and multi-unit buildings only: up to $1,000 to connect to a backup power source and up to $4,000 for a fixed battery. Amounts are higher for a duplex or triplex.

What to do now. The online portal for applications will open "during the fall," with no set date; a form lets you be notified by email. You can already do eligible work, as long as it's done after October 1, 2026, by a contractor holding the right licences. Keep your invoices: the contractor will also have to complete and sign a work-compliance certification form. If you had started under the old rules, your post-work energy evaluation must be done by March 31, 2027.

Good to know for newcomers. Rénoclimat helps prevent damage: it isn't compensation after a disaster. For water damage, first check what your home insurance covers, a topic explained in our guide to home insurance. If you rent, the program isn't aimed at you directly, but you can mention it to your landlord.