Legislation Will Unleash Major Projects, Boost the Economy, and Put Canadians to Work
Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) welcomes today’s passage of Bill C-5 in the Senate, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act. This is a critical win for Canada’s economy, and for the skilled trades workers who are ready to get to work building the infrastructure our future demands.
CBTU has long advocated for regulatory reform to accelerate the development of nationally significant infrastructure, energy, and resource projects. Bill C-5 provides the necessary framework to streamline processes while maintaining rigorous oversight, enabling Canada to build what it needs more quickly.
As a result of Canada’s Building Trades Unions and our affiliate’s focused advocacy efforts, the successful passage of Bill C-5 now explicitly includes a requirement to create good-paying, unionized jobs. This milestone ensures that unions are firmly embedded in legislation that will shape Canada’s economic future and support long-term prosperity.
In the lead-up to this legislation passing, CBTU also mobilized our members across the country, launching a grassroots letter-writing campaign that generated thousands of messages to Members of Parliament. The message was clear: Canada’s skilled trades workers need tools, not red tape, to build the projects that will secure our economic future.
“Thank you to our members who quickly mobilized and responded to our letter-writing campaign, sending thousands of letters to their MPs and emphasized how critical it is to get Canada building again,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions.
“This legislation marks a significant step forward by establishing a streamlined, one-project, one-approval process. Bill C-5 represents, to our knowledge, the first time in recent Canadian history that we will have enhanced project certainty at this scale. Today, Canada met the moment and delivered on promises for progress, collaboration, and real results.”
Canada’s 600,000 unionized construction workers are prepared to build vital energy systems, trade corridors, and public infrastructure, including projects like Gull Island, LNG Phase 2 in Kitimat, critical mineral mining and export initiatives, and small modular reactors to bolster national energy security. These are the projects Canada needs urgently to drive economic growth and energy independence.
“This legislation will unleash job-creating and job-saving projects across the country,” continued Strickland. “This is about more than construction; it’s about securing livelihoods, communities, and Canada’s long-term economic resilience.”
The passage of this legislation is a pivotal moment for Canada’s future. With a united skilled trades workforce and growing public support, CBTU is ready to help lead the way.
