18 BUILD MANITOBA winnipegconstruction.ca CCA REPORT Let’s Show That By Mary Van Buren, President, Canadian Construction Association #CDNCONSTRUCTIONGIVES TARGETS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS: ISSUE IS LACK OF WORKFORCE As we meet with members across the country, the number one issue is attracting and maintaining a skilled workforce. The $180 billion in infrastructure funding being invested by the Government of Canada is essential for building the Canada of the future. At the same time, many parts of Canada are facing a severe talent shortage – and have been for a while. Adding targets to federal infrastructure projects to hire underrepresented groups who do not exist in sufficient numbers will unfortunately not help address the talent shortage. Instead, we need to reposition the image of the industry as an employer of choice while continuing our significant outreach and training efforts with underrepresented groups. BILL C-344: UNFAIR AND UNPREDICTABLE PROCUREMENT? CCA’s primary concern with bill C-344 (An act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act [Community Benefits]) and the community employment benefits framework summarized above is that they may lead to an unpredictable, unfair and opaque procurement process. If the government wants community benefits in its projects, the industry requests that these be clearly laid out in the tender documents, with each contractor having an equal opportunity to price the work required. Should these additional benefits fall outside the scope of the document, contractors would be in blind competition with each other without knowing how their proposed benefit(s) would impact the overall evaluation. Furthermore, as the federal government is seen as a leader, the CCA is concerned that this currently ill-defined concept might lead all levels of government across Canada to extract “community benefits” outside the scope of the project. Finally, we are concerned about any legislation that may add further regulatory requirements to access federal infrastructure funding, reduce productivity and increase uncertainty. WHAT CAN YOU DO? CCA and its partner associations continue to educate the government on the root issues and your commitment to your communities. Just how committed our members across the country are to their communities is a great source of pride for the CCA. From food banks to Habitat for Humanity, to hiring or training apprentices, the construction industry makes a difference with our voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This is in addition to the many formal programs initiated by construction associations, which have The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is taking every opportunity to show the government the incredible value our members already bring to your communities above and beyond the project itself. We need your help to quantify and showcase how the Canadian construction industry voluntarily and generously supports communities across the country. already been put in place to help underrepresented segments get into the construction industry. We can and will do more. Quantifying how much good our members do across the country will help CCA demonstrate to the government and other stakeholders how much extra value our members already provide to benefit their communities and that legislation is not required. If you are on Instagram or Twitter, use #CDNConstructionGives to highlight your community support activities. DOWNLOAD HELPFUL GUIDES CCA has published two guides to help you expand your outreach efforts. Corporate Social Responsibility in the Construction Sector: A Practical Guide to CSR. The guide offers a roadmap to the practical implementation of measures that can increase your company’s success. Download the guide from cca-acc.com/corporate- social-responsibility-guide-form/. Indigenous Engagement Guide. The guide provides general information, guidance and insights to help the construction industry engage more effectively with Indigenous companies and communities in Canada. Download the guide from cca-acc.com/ indigenous-engagement-guide/. Email me at mvanburen@cca-acc.com if you have feedback on CCA’s advocacy work. Visit cca-acc.com for more information and bit.ly/ccasubscribe to receive updates from CCA, CCDC, CDBI, Gold Seal or LCI-C.