Election 2025 - Canada's Building Trades Unions

Election 2025 ACTION CENTER

Advocacy

It's time to work for workers

The 2025 federal election has been called, and Canada’s Building Trades Unions is calling on federal political parties and candidates to support policies that improve the lives of Canada’s unionized skilled trades workers, and benefit the entire construction sector.

Explore our priorities below, and use the social media content and downloadable literature to share our asks with candidates and political parties who are vying for office.

When we make our voices heard, we get results.

OUR blueprint FOR POLITICAL PARTIES

Download our policies and priorities document and find out what we're asking federal political parties and candidates to support.

Download our Priorities Document

Our Election priorities

Employment Insurance enhancement

Donald Trump's unfair and punishing tariffs are putting thousands of Canadian construction jobs at risk. CBTU is calling for the government to make additional changes to the main Employment Insurance program to make it easier to access, with enhanced benefits for workers.

MAINTAINING THE INVESTMENT TAX CREDITS AND THEIR LABOUR CONDITIONS

The Investment Tax Credits and the prevailing wage and apprenticeship conditions attached to them are critical to ensuring that high-quality, well-paid jobs are prioritized as Canada expands the clean energy economy. We're asking all parties to maintain the existing ITCs, and pass the final ITCs already proposed.

Prevailing wage conditions on taxpayer funded projects

Canadians expect that whenever taxpayer money is invested, well-paid Canadian jobs come with it. However, since 2012 it hasn't been a requirement. We're asking all parties to make paying the prevailing wage a requirement on all taxpayer funded projects.

Faster project approvals for trade and energy infrastructure

Donald Trump's tariffs mean Canada needs to re-think our economic and energy security. We're calling on all major parties to make it easier get projects build by reducing regulatory burdens, and accelerate investment in the nation-building energy and trade infrastructure we need to secure our future.

Restoring and expanding grants and supports for apprentices

Our union training system has proven success in delivering high-quality, well-paid careers for minority, indigenous, and justice-affected individuals who want opportunities in the construction industry. That’s why we are calling on all parties and candidates to restore and expand grants and supports for apprentices in their platforms.

TEmporary Foreign Worker REform

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has been abused by employers for too long. It's leaving foreign workers subject to exploitation, and suppressing the wages of Canadian skilled trades workers. We're calling on all parties to crack down on the TFW Program, re-instate restrictions on the construction sector, and ensure the prevailing wage standard is the union wage.

Apprenticeship & WORKER SUPPORTS

Canada’s union skilled trades training system is the envy of the world. Despite our proven record of success however, there is no dedicated federal funding to support physically expanding and updating our union halls and training centres. That’s why we are calling on all parties and candidates to support ‘brick and mortar’ funding programs to support our world-class training system.

ACTION CENTRE

Get involved. make your voice heard in the election.

It’s important that building trades union members engage with local candidates and political parties. That’s why we’ve developed a toolkit for union locals in helping hammer home our message to candidates to ensure our voices are heard in the new government.

Download our flyers and handouts, and use our social media templates to share our election asks with your local members.