Red Seal trade certification

A trades business can depend on the people who hold its credentials. When you review an electrical, plumbing or similar company, you may see Red Seal endorsements on the owner’s or the crew’s certificates. The Red Seal Program, formally the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, sets common standards to assess tradespeople across Canada.

What the endorsement does and does not show

The program’s own site says the endorsement indicates only that a tradesperson passed the Red Seal examination for a trade. It does not indicate that a person is certified by a province or territory to carry on any trade. Provinces and territories are responsible for apprenticeship training and trade certification in their jurisdictions.

What to check or ask

• Ask for each key person’s provincial or territorial certificate, not only the seal.
• Confirm the certification and endorsement with the apprenticeship authority that issued it, which the program says can verify them.
• Find out whether the work the business does is a compulsory trade where it operates; see compulsory trade licensing.
• Ask who will hold the credentials after closing; see whether trade licences transfer when you sell.