As House of Commons Resumes, Grey Cup and Grey Skies Ahead
Next week, Prime Minister Trudeau’s Liberals will return with a new Cabinet to Ottawa. With campaign promises still fresh, CBTU will watch closely as the House of Commons meets again before the holidays – especially around a Skilled Trades Worker Mobility Tax Deduction.
Enbridge's Line 5 continued to be in the news this week. Following the Canadian Government’s invoking of the 1977 Treaty – a move CBTU strongly advocated for – the US Administration has confirmed that they are not considering shutting down the pipeline right now (they are studying the impacts of a shutdown) and are engaging in negotiations with Canada. Keeping the decision at the federal level and out of Michigan state court, was a position CBTU took in the amicus brief we submitted in the spring and we're pleased to say, has been granted by the courts. Working alongside the Canadian Government and Enbridge, we’re proud to stand up for good, Building Trades Jobs and move closer to resolving this dispute. As Prime Minister Trudeau meets with President Biden this week, it is expected Line 5 will be addressed once again.
This week I saw first-hand, some of the devastation caused by the severe flooding in British Columbia; our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected. Many affiliates are already stepping up to give back including LiUNA Local 1611.
I traveled to the province to participate in a strategic planning session with SkillPlan, a nationally recognized leader in workforce development programming. As a member of their Board, CBTU engages with SkillPlan on a number of important projects including the Construction Trades Hub, Building It Green, and more. During the strategic planning session, we took part in a cultural awareness session at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre to learn more about the Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations people as part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.
I also had the opportunity to congratulate newly-named Executive Director of the BC Building Trades, Brynn Bourke in person – the first female to hold the position in BC. Congratulations Brynn!
TradesNL launched their See Yourself HERe campaign this week. See Yourself HERe is focused on increasing awareness of the barriers women can face in the skilled trades, and calling for equal representation and equity on public infrastructure projects. Check out their campaign site for more info.
This week, Building Trades of Alberta hosted Seamus O’Regan, newly-named Minister of Labour, at the UA Local 488 Training Centre in Edmonton, AB. This was a great opportunity for the Minister to check out some of the state-of-the-art training taking place, and talk about the importance of supporting energy workers through training as the economy transitions to Net-Zero.
If you don’t have it marked in your calendar yet, CBTU will be holding our annual conference in person April 25-28 in Ottawa, ON. Registration information coming soon.
Stay safe out there.
-Sean
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