CBTU Sees Value in Fall Economic Statement to Support Economy and Workers

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 apprenticeship training opportunities are being created. We are glad to see the Government has heard us, and are working to ensure the jobs of the future are good, middle-class jobs. Tax credits/subsidies for businesses and consumers alike must be linked to good, middle-class job creation.
 
CBTU applauds the $250 million commitment over five years to Employment and Social Development Canada to help ensure Canadian workers can thrive in a changing global economy. Supporting workers as we transition to net-zero is also vital in ensuring a prosperous economic future for Canada. Commitments like a new sustainable job stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) and the creation of a Sustainable Jobs Centre and Sustainable Jobs Secretariat are steps in the right direction. We look forward to making sure we integrate the delivery of training for the new jobs of the future with our 195 training centres across the country. 
 
CBTU urges the Government to ensure the Sustainable Jobs Secretariat has a strong mandate that cuts across multiple departmental lines to ensure that new energy projects can get regulatory approval to get to market to create sustainable jobs of the future, faster. 
 
In the upcoming year, we hope to see further support to meet today’s labour availability challenges, including increased immigration for the skilled trades as mentioned earlier this week in Canada’s 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan. CBTU looks forward to continuing to work with the Canadian Government on the creation of the Secretariat and bringing appropriate and worker-focused Just Transition legislation to the floor of the House of Commons in Budget 2023." 
 
-Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions