Ottawa, ON – Canada’s Building Trades Unions is celebrating significant progress for Canadian skilled trades workers this week as Bills C-58 and C-59 were passed by the House of Commons and head to the Senate. Bill C-58 bans the use of replacement workers in federally regulated sectors, and Bill C-59 introduces game-changing Investment Tax Credits, which contain both prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.
“Bill C-59 has the strongest definition of prevailing wage in Canadian labour history, a direct reference to the wages we negotiate through our multi-employer collective agreements,” says Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, “all construction workers in Canada will benefit from tying these tax incentives to paying good wages, union wages, to workers building the clean economy of the future. The apprenticeship requirements will also mean more Canadians will have the opportunity to join the skilled trades as we build a net-zero economy.”
Canada’s Building Trades Unions has been advocating for several years for the passage of these important measures, which mirror the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act measures, which have created more than 100,000 new jobs and driven a clean economy construction boom in the United States.
The passage of C-58 – An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, also passed through the House of Commons this week, delivering a historic win for workers in federally regulated sectors by banning the use of replacement workers.
“As unions, we have always strongly advocated for fair collective bargaining processes, and we are pleased to see the government level the playing field by removing unfair practices like using replacement workers when bargaining has broken down and labour action is necessary,” said Strickland, “These measures will protect the integrity of the bargaining process, incentivize employers to stay at the bargaining table, and reduce the length of strikes when bargaining does break down.”
CBTU was glad to be part of the consulting phase on this important legislation, with Executive Director Sean Strickland appearing earlier this year before the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development, and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
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Media Contact
Amy Burlock | aburlock@buildingtrades.ca
About CBTU
Canada’s Building Trades Unions are an alliance of 14 international unions in the construction, maintenance and fabrication industries that collectively represent over 600,000 skilled trades workers in Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $300 million in private sector money to fund and operate over 175 apprenticeship training and education facilities across Canada that produce the safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. Canada’s Building Trades Unions represent members who work in more than 60 different trades and occupations, and generate six per cent of Canada’s GDP. For more information, go to www.buildingtrades.ca
