A federal grant meant to help women break into male-dominated trades was quietly abused by men who claimed to be female in order to qualify for double the cash, according to a newly-released government review.

As first reported by Blacklock's, the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women, launched by the Trudeau government in 2018, offered up to $8,000 in funding to women pursuing careers in trades like plumbing, electrical work, welding, and carpentry—twice the amount men could receive under equivalent programs. The idea was to close the gender gap in skilled trades. But there was a loophole: all you had to do to qualify was check a box saying you identified as female. No questions asked.

And some male applicants took full advantage.

A new evaluation of the now-defunct program revealed that some men openly admitted to ticking “female” on the form to claim the higher payout. Focus group participants and government interviews confirmed the practice. While the report doesn’t say how many men did this or how much money was claimed fraudulently, it acknowledged the issue was widespread enough to cause concern.

Officials downplayed the problem as part of the “sensitive questions” that come with equity-based programs, and offered no concrete plans to prevent it in future initiatives.

Audit @ESDC_Gc admits backlash to $39M program that doubled grants for women apprentices, found men checked box to self-identify as female to qualify: 'Complaints were grants were unfair.'  https://t.co/dCuEZwthpB #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/osc7ENMAF3

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) June 25, 2025

But it wasn’t just the gender loophole that raised eyebrows. The program also sparked backlash among tradespeople who felt it created division on job sites. More than 60 percent of those surveyed in the government’s evaluation expressed a negative view of the grant, with many saying it felt discriminatory. Some women, ironically, said the policy left them feeling resented rather than supported.

In the end, the program handed out $38.6 million to 13,200 recipients before it was shut down in 2023. Government reviewers concluded that the grants had “limited influence” on career decisions, noting most women who received the money had already committed to their trade before learning the funding existed.

Participation by women in the trades rose modestly after 2018 but stalled again after the pandemic. Meanwhile, earlier reports dating back to 2020 had already flagged that most female apprentices were still gravitating to traditional roles like hairstyling and cooking—fields where women were already well-represented.

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