Advocacy ALERT

Clearing the path for construction: CCA calls for increased collaboration at semi-annual roundtable

With the federal government securing a majority in the House, senior government officials and construction leaders met in Ottawa to focus on a shared objective: better aligning national priorities with the construction industry’s capacity to deliver.

That focus shaped discussions on April 16, when senior federal officials met with the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) for their semi-annual joint meeting to explore ways to overcome key barriers, from procurement to project delivery, and unlock the major and nation-building projects critical to securing Canada’s domestic strength and resilience.

The meeting convened a broad range of senior decision-makers from the following government departments and agencies including Build Canada Homes (BCH), Defence Construction Canada (DCC), Department of National Defence (DND), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS).

Building on the momentum from the fall session, the roundtable revisited the issues the industry faces in construction supply chains, especially as they pertain to new requirements imposed by the federal Buy Canadian policy. Additionally, the government presented the new Workforce Alliance strategy, in which CCA has been tapped as one of the co-leads to propose solutions to reduce labour shortages in order to support the delivery of the government’s ‘build, baby, build’ agenda.

Participants also continued discussions on the recurring issue of security clearances, as CCA continues to reiterate that this is a significant and persistent barrier that prevents key priorities, such as defence infrastructure projects, from getting off the ground – jeopardizing Canada’s ability to strengthen and safeguard the country in these uncertain times.

The industry looks forward to structuring conversations into actionable policy items that will unlock construction’s full potential to build the infrastructure Canada deserves.

For more information on CCA’s advocacy work, please email Louis-Philippe Champagne, Associate Vice President, Public Affairs and Industry Practices.

Photos provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada.