Today, the Government of Canada released the 2023 Federal Budget that included strong investments to build Canada’s green economy and strengthened Canada’s response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, building on commitments first announced in the Fall Economic Statement.  Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Sean Strickland, has released the following statement in response to the 2023 Federal Budget: “Canada’s Building Trades Unions applaud the Federal Government’s clear commitment to growing the middle class and an economy that will help Canada meet our net-zero goals. The definition of Prevailing Wage outlined in the Budget is a huge win for workers – providing one of the strongest definitions we’ve ever had in Canada. Building on the supports for green technologies announced in the 2022 Fall

“On March 8, Canada’s Building Trades Unions join organizations and people across the world to mark International Women’s Day – a yearly reminder to address inequality in our country, and in our industry. I am proud of the many sisters that go to work in demanding jobs to build Canada each and every day. And, through various programs, we’re working hard to make every job site inclusive of all. Including: The Office to Advance Women Apprentices. OAWA offer wraparound support services for women seeking or already employed in the skilled trades. For tradeswomen, programs like Build Together: Women of the Building Trades have created a way for tradeswomen in our industry to help uncover existing biases so we can work harder to address them. Build

Today, the Government of Canada published its Sustainable Jobs Plan. The plan includes 10 key action areas including establishing government bodies to support sustainable jobs; improving labour market data collection; and actions to motivate investors and industry leadership to support workers. Legislation is set to be tabled later this year, which will lay out a framework for accountability, engagement, and transparency.   “Canada’s Building Trades Unions welcome the Sustainable Jobs Plan and will continue to work closely with the Government to ensure the plan provides solutions that keep workers at the forefront of the transition to net-zero. Supports needed during this transformative period include enhanced apprenticeship and training programs for displaced workers, creating more opportunities for equity-deserving groups and the inclusion of high labour standards linked to

Canada’s Gas Energy industry is pleased to announce the launch of Energy for a Secure Future (ESF). ESF is a non-partisan civil society initiative that brings together Canadian business leaders, Indigenous peoples, organizations, and experts to implement a new vision for Canada’s gas energy and infrastructure. ESF seeks to: advance reconciliation, reduce global emissions, and help our allies, all while building a stronger, more resilient and prosperous Canada. ESF’s Advisory Council include key business representatives, industry groups, and civil society organizations. To date this includes: Indigenous organizations (including the Indian Resource Council, the First Nations LNG Alliance) and industry groups (including Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Canadian Gas Association, Canadian Chemistry Industry Association).   Many prominent individuals from across Canada have also lent their names to the

On this day 33 years ago, 14 women studying at the École Polytechnique in Montreal were murdered; it was the second deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. On December 6, we observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. This day takes place during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence that are marked around the world from November 25-December 10. Canada’s Building Trades Unions stand with women and survivors, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting women in the Building Trades industry, by ensuring they have safe working environments and networks they can turn to when needed. Programs like the Office to Advance Women Apprentices, Build Together, and Tradeswomen Build Nations create these networks. For more information

Canada’s Building Trades Unions and our 600,000 members honour and thank the brave men and women and their families who have and continue to serve Canada. On November 8, Indigenous Veterans Day, and November 11, Remembrance Day, we join communities across the country as we pay our respects to Canada’s veterans and those currently serving. It is important that we not only honour these women and men today, but each and every day, by offering support and a pathway to a second career when they return home. Helmets to Hardhats Canada is a program of Canada’s Building Trades Unions that was founded in 2012 to provide serving, transitioning, and former military members opportunities in the unionized construction industry. Regardless of whether you are heading to

Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, released the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which includes investments and incentives to support Canada’s workforce.  Canada’s Building Trades Unions are pleased to see the Canadian Government’s continued support for workers in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, including investments to grow our economy and counter-act inflation. The Fall Fiscal Statement demonstrates the Government is taking just transition seriously, because as our economy shifts, it will cost a lot of jobs to our members.   As was the case with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, the Government has linked tax credit rates for the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for Clean Hydrogen to good labour conditions including paying prevailing wages and ensuring that

On National Truth and Reconciliation Day we remember and honour Survivors of the residential school system, their families, and their communities. The residual effects of residential schools have left intergenerational trauma in younger generations that continues to hurt Indigenous communities. Canada’s Building Trades Unions commit to listening as we join communities across the country on September 30th to grieve, heal, and continue to learn from one another. This year, Truth and Reconciliation events across the country are centered on Remembering the Children – a tribute to the hundreds of Indigenous children whose unmarked graves have been uncovered over the last year and a half. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has compiled a list of events taking place in Ottawa and Winnipeg. We encourage

Today, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) launched In The Trades, a federally-funded program that will help apprentices get started in the skilled trades. Over the next two years, In The Trades will provide financial incentives and training support for unionized small and medium-sized contractors across Canada that hire, train, and retain first-year apprentices to address labour availability across Canada. “Canada’s Building Trades Unions are leaders in delivering the highest quality training to produce the safest, skilled trades workforce anywhere in the world. With the Building Trades vast network of training centres and employers; and world-class apprenticeship programs, we can ensure apprentices can access job opportunities, training and support to not only start an apprenticeship but complete it,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director, Canada’s Building Trades Unions. “With

Today, workers will gather at fairs, festivals and parades across this country to mark Labour Day, or, like many Canadians, you may mark this as just another long weekend. I do, however, strongly encourage you, wherever you are, to take a moment to pause and remember the origins of Labour Day – a holiday Canadian workers gave the world. Dating back to 1872, the origins of Labour Day come from the struggles of working people and the demand for fairness. At the time of the industrial revolution, in the late 1700s, unions – or organized labour – were illegal in Canada and across much of the world. Despite that, workers were starting to organize against the gruelling conditions many were working under – from child