JUNE 16, 2025 – Ottawa – Today, Canada’s Building Trades Unions is calling on all parties to support the expedited passage of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act. Canada’s Building Trades Unions has long advocated for regulatory reform that makes it more efficient to build major projects. Bill C-5 does exactly that for major projects that are in the national interest. Canada’s unionized skilled trades workers are ready to get to work building the trade, energy, and mining, and critical infrastructure needed to secure Canada’s economic future, and our unions are ready to welcome thousands of new skilled trades workers into our halls as apprentices to help meet this ambitious moment for Canada’s future.
“It is imperative that this be passed before parliament rises for summer,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, “The time is now to come together to build one powerful Canadian economy from coast to coast. Canada’s unionized construction workers stand together in our view that the time to build is now, and the faster this legislation moves forward, the faster our members, and all Canadian construction workers can get to work.”
Canada’s Building Trades Unions has been a continuous advocate for regulatory efficiency that sees major projects move forward faster. With Trump’s job-killing tariffs taking a toll on the Canadian economy, it is essential that major projects that bring Canadian goods, resources, and energy to new export markets move forward quickly to secure Canada’s economic future, and put Canadians back to work.
“Our unions are fully committed to ensuring that Indigenous peoples, women, those from disadvantaged and equity-seeking groups, as well as Canadians who have lost their jobs due to these job-killing tariffs have every opportunity to come into our union halls and training centres and start well-paid, life-long jobs in the skilled trades,” continued Strickland, “To get our members – and our future members – to work however, we need nation-building construction projects and opportunities for apprentices. That can only happen if this legislation passes quickly, the country comes together to identify priority projects, indigenous consultation and participation is upheld, and proponents are given the regulatory certainty to move projects forward.”
Canada’s Building Trades Unions and our 600,000 members are mobilizing to ensure parliamentarians from all parties hear our message. Join our campaign to ensure this legislation passes quickly at www.buildingtrades.ca/campaign-c5
