Earlier today, Employment and Social Development Canada announced further changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. While Canada’s Building Trades Unions is encouraged to see steps being taken to reduce the overall number of temporary workers that can be employed by a single employer, there remains significant gaps before this program can be considered anything other than a wage suppressor for Canada’s tradespeople. The omission of our sector from the reforms announced is disappointing, and the workers we are relying on to build our country deserve to be a legislative priority.   We will review today’s announcement in more detail and will continue reinforcing the solutions that can be implemented to repair some of the most derelict areas of the program to create supports that work

Canada’s Building Trades Unions are profoundly grateful for the immense accomplishments of the Hon. Seamus O’Regan as he steps down as Minister of Labour today, leaving a tremendous legacy of successful policies that will benefit working people in Canada for decades to come. “Seamus O’Regan will be remembered as one of the best Labour ministers this country has seen,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, “We will be forever grateful for his years of service to workers across the country and his steadfast friendship and support of the building trades.” During his time as Minister of Labour, O’Regan saw through major wins for workers in Canada, including historic and long sought after anti-scab legislation for federally regulated workers, as well as

Canada’s Building Trades Unions is celebrating the passage of key legislation this week which delivers major wins for Canadian skilled trades workers, and workers across the country. This week saw final votes on Bills C-59, which implemented the Investment Tax Credits, C-50, the Sustainable Jobs Act, and C-58, which introduced a federal ban on replacement workers. “The Investment Tax Credits are a game-changer for our workers. Now, investments in the clean economy are tied to strong, union-negotiated wages for construction workers, as well as opportunities for apprentices,”says Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, “The Investment Tax Credits have the strongest definition of prevailing wage in Canadian labour history. This is a tremendous win for all workers in the construction industry.” The Investment

Canada’s Building Trades Unions are voicing their support for the federal government’s changes to the capital gains tax inclusion rate, which was previously announced, and will be voted on by the House of Commons this week. The proposed change to the tax code will help fund important programs for the benefit of all Canadian workers including pharmacare, childcare, increased healthcare spending. “The inclusion rate for our members wages is one hundred percent, taxed as income at the marginal rate, while only half of capital gains are taxed at all. Raising that to two-thirds, and only on capital gains above $250,000 each year, is a step towards tax fairness for people who work for a living,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions,

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

Today, the Hon. Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages of Canada joined leaders from Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Provincial Building Trades Councils, and workforce development partners SkillPlan, Future Skills Centre, Magnet, and SRDC to announce $5.5 million in investments supporting apprenticeships, and national-scale recruitment, assessment, and training to help underrepresented workers find well-paid careers in the skilled trades. “Canadians are ready to work – and we are ready to provide a path towards their dream jobs,” says Minister Boissonnault, “Together with CBTU, SkillPlan and a variety of other organizations – our government is making it easier to train and get work in the trades. By building this infrastructure, we are ensuring that every generation has access to fulfilling and good paying

The executive director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Sean Strickland, has issued a statement for Canada’s Day of Mourning urging workers and employers in the construction sector to “reflect upon our collective purpose, remember, acknowledge and offer our thoughts to those who have been injured, fallen ill or lost their life while at work.” The 2024 Day of Mourning is today, April 28th. “Canada’s Building Trades Unions stand in solidarity with workers across the country to recognize the National Day of Mourning, a day to remember workers who have died or been injured in workplace accidents or due to occupational disease,” stated Strickland. “Advocating for higher health and safety standards for our members and for all construction workers has always and will always be a

Canada’s Building Trades Unions welcomes today’s announcement of a significant investment by Honda and the Government of Canada to secure the future of EV manufacturing in Canada, as the country transitions towards a net-zero economy. Canada’s Building Trades Unions are also pleased to enter into preliminary discussions with Honda to secure a memorandum of understanding which would maximize the number of unionized Canadian skilled trades jobs in the construction of these planned facilities. “This is an important investment in the net-zero future, and we’re delighted that Honda has chosen Canada for this facility. We’re also gratified that preliminary discussions with Honda are taking place to ensure Canadian unionized skilled trades workers will help build that future,” says Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades

Canada’s Building Trades Unions welcomes the introduction of Budget 2024 and the new measures introduced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland. Budget 2024 includes new funding for existing measures to support skilled trades, new supports for net-zero technology investments, and measures which will help address the exploitation of workers. “This year’s budget took great strides to support Canada’s skilled trades workers. We were pleased to see stable funding for Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, and Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program, coupled with continued investments in nuclear development and net-zero technology investments. This will strengthen our workforce and ensure Canada has the support it needs as we forge ahead building new homes and transitioning our nation’s economy to a