Boost Canada’s Economy: Support Building for Recovery
In December 2020, the major construction trade organizations in Canada banded together and formed a coalition called Building for Recovery.
Their goal? To urge the Canadian government, at all levels, to deliver on infrastructure investments to get construction projects started and money injected into the country’s economy.
The coalition includes Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Association of Consulting Engineering Companies — Canada (ACEC — Canada), and the National Trade Contractors Council of Canada (NTCCC).
These organizations formed the coalition to encourage workers, managers and anyone else supportive of the industry to send letters to their political representatives at the federal and provincial levels. The petition, which is available on the coalition website, asks political leaders to deliver on planned infrastructure investments that can boost the Canadian economy and help it emerge from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Brian McGuire, the president and CEO of Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), said in the press release: “The construction sector is ready to rebuild Canada’s economy but all levels of government must deliver on infrastructure investments now to get projects started.”
John Gamble, president of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies — Canada (ACEC — Canada), echoed those ideas.
“Despite billions of dollars of existing infrastructure commitments, these investments have been slow to roll out,” Gamble said in the release. “Infrastructure Canada’s website shows that of the nearly 17,000 approved projects, fewer than 900 have received funding.
Recovering from the economic consequences of the pandemic will take time, but it will happen faster with a comprehensive investment plan that focuses on infrastructure. As these industry leaders have pointed out, infrastructure projects have a proven return on investment.
For investing in public infrastructure, governments can expect big economic gains, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Investing in infrastructure is the right move. Not just for the construction industry, but for all of Canada. These projects would foster employment opportunities, which the country desperately needs, while improving transportation and quality of life in the nation’s biggest cities.
In the Investing in Canada plan, the government is slated to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years in infrastructure projects across the country. At least 21 federal departments and agencies are involved.
The first phase released $14.4 billion in new funding for the modernization and repair of crucial parts of the nation’s infrastructure. This money supported critical public transit systems, clean water and wastewater systems, and social infrastructure, including affordable housing.
After the first phase in 2016, $81.2 billion in additional funding was released in 2017 to boost five key areas over the next decade: public transit, green, social, trade and transportation, and rural and northern communities’ infrastructure.
The program is aimed at large-scale projects with the ability to transform growing areas of the economy. To find out more details, you can visit the Implementation Progress and Funding Update Table here.
Even though many of these projects are located in the country’s largest cities, every province should work together to make this happen, because it benefits all of us.
I urge anyone supportive of the construction industry and the Canadian economy to get involved in this effort. To do so, sign the petition and learn more about the Building for Recovery coalition at buildforrecovery.ca.
