Dan Baxter

[PCA @PCACanada]

#MultiSkilling addresses an often-invisible barrier contributing to Canada’s workforce gap. In an era of nation-building efforts, it is crucial that our industry and decision-makers understand and implement this concept 🇨🇦

This week on the hashtag#ConstructiveThinking blog, PCA President & CEO, Paul de Jong, explores the principles of multi skilling - and how approaches like micro-credentialing, skill blending and dual ticketing can help address Canada’s growing construction workforce challenges.

👉 Read now: https://t.co/ZZfyJeJqRz

[PCA @PCACanada]

PCA welcomes the agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith to advance a new Alberta bitumen pipeline connecting Canadian energy to Asian markets.

PCA members are ready to help deliver this project and the long-term economic benefits it can create for Canadians 🇨🇦

👉 Read our full news release here: https://t.co/YN5WK43HPB

[PCA @PCACanada]

🎧 Tune in to a new episode of the #ConstructiveThinking podcast: https://t.co/GVVWw72dA4

Mental health in construction gets a lot of attention - but what about financial wellness? The two are closely connected, and both play a critical role in building a more productive, engaged workforce 🏗️

🎤 Listen as Kevin McCarthy of Enriched Academy and PCA’s Karen Renkema explore how improving financial wellness can support better outcomes across the construction industry.

[PCA @PCACanada]

Today’s labour market challenges didn’t appear overnight - they’re the result of decades of decisions about how work gets done.

If we want better outcomes, it starts with understanding how we got here.

This week on the #ConstructiveThinking blog, PCA President & CEO, Paul de Jong explores the history of Canada’s labour market - and the work still needed to modernize it.

📖 Read here: https://t.co/6HoKTsvmtP

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

Projects that could be further along today:

Massey Tunnel replacement
Cariboo Connector 4-laning
Burnaby Hospital upgrades

Better execution means more gets built.

It also means more opportunities in every corner of the province for all of BC's 265,000 skilled construction workers.

All skilled construction workers, professionals, and their families deserve respect.

That’s what Bill M233 was about. 7/7

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

The NDP had a choice this week on my Private Member’s Bill, M233:

Open public projects to all qualified workers and contractors, or keep picking winners and losers.

They chose exclusion. They voted against fairness, against competition, and against better value for taxpayers.

Their record speaks for itself. 👇1/7

[PCA @PCACanada]

Last week, alongside CLAC, ICBA and Indigenous partners, PCA supported Kiel Giddens’ Private Member’s Bill M-233 (the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act), which would open opportunities to the 85% of B.C.’s construction workforce currently excluded from public projects under the NDP’s restrictive CBA/PLA policies.

As Karen Ogen, CEO of the First Nations Natural Gas Alliance, noted at the press conference following the debate, this legislation is about expanding opportunity for ALL British Columbians 🍁🌲🏔️

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

The BC NDP say they support workers, but then vote to exclude 85% of them from public capital projects.

They blame labour shortages and supply chain challenges while shrinking the labour and contractor pools.

Taxpayers are left with $17B in overruns and years of delays. At the same time, the NDP has brought in a $13.3B deficit and BC has faced multiple credit downgrades.

This isn’t leadership. It’s a public policy failure and we have to start talking about it in BC.

[PCA @PCACanada]

🎧 Tune in to a new episode of the #ConstructiveThinking podcast: https://t.co/JMy3RdLeqK

B.C. says it wants to build more infrastructure and spend taxpayer dollars wisely. So why are procurement rules still limiting who can compete?

Darrel Reid sits down with @DanBaxter to unpack the province’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) regime, MLA Kiel Giddens’ proposed legislation, and the broader conversation around fair and open procurement in British Columbia. 👷🏗️

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

It’s time that the BC NDP admits that their procurement policies have failed taxpayers and workers on public sector projects.

BC deserves better value, more infrastructure, and more opportunities for all of the province’s 265,000+ skilled construction workers.

Last week I called on the government to back Bill M233—the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act.

[PCA @PCACanada]

Today, PCA and CLAC joined B.C. Conservative MLAs, construction workers and advocates for fair and open tendering at the B.C. Legislature in support of B.C MLA Kiel Gidden's Private Member’s Bill M233.

A strong show of support for policies that promote fairness, competition and opportunity across the construction sector.

Read our full news release here: https://t.co/ozU45xvWJV

#fairandopenconstruction #fairandopenBC #progressiveconstruction

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

Thank you to @BoardofTrade for endorsing fair and open tendering for public projects. 👇

“Recognizing the critical importance of efficient, transparent, and cost-
effective project delivery, Bill M 233 promotes fairness by ensuring that
all qualified contractors and workers can participate in public projects.” - Bridgette Anderson, President & CEO, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

My Private Members Bill on fair & open tendering is getting national attention 👀

Other than the Province of BC, the City of Toronto has been the only other jurisdiction in Canada with restrictive tendering leading to expensive results for taxpayers. 💸

“Right now, governments at every level are focused on investing in Canada’s future. With billions in public funding at stake, Canadians are counting on their elected officials to make fair and responsible investment decisions. After all, public infrastructure is owned by all Canadians. So, it stands to reason that all Canadians should get a chance to build it and benefit from it.” - Karen Renkema, VP of Ontario at the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada @PCACanada

https://t.co/sWGpDYn9Gx

[CFIB - British Columbia @cfibBC]

Small businesses deserve a level playing field when it comes to helping build projects in BC. 👷

Exclusive contract terms, such as BC's Community Benefit Agreements, shut out 96% percent of local, Canadian-owned small businesses. 🚧

Bill M233 deserves fulsome debate in the BC legislature. #bcpoli

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

Last month, I introduced Bill M233, the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act. It’s simple: fairness for workers and better value for taxpayers.

Public contracts should be awarded on merit, safety record, qualifications, experience, price, and ability to deliver results.

The Bill passed first reading in the BC Legislature and I look forward to more discussions ahead.👇

[PCA @PCACanada]

🎧 Tune in to a new episode of the Constructive Thinking podcast: https://t.co/RPbvKpCCl4

This week, CLAC's Executive Director, Wayne Prins, joins PCA President & CEO, Paul de Jong, for a conversation on the union's history, policy priorities, innovations in workforce development and concerns about competition within Canada's construction sector.

Listen now for insights on the future of Canada’s construction workforce and the policies shaping the industry.

#FairAndOpenConstruction #ConstructiveThinking #CLAC #ProgressiveConstruction #CompetitiveProcurement

[Kiel Giddens @KielGiddens]

The NDP limits who can work on many public construction projects because they prefer a system that picks winners and losers.

That isn’t fair to British Columbians waiting for hospitals, schools, and roads, especially in a climate of labour shortages, cost overruns, and delayed projects.

Cost overruns on capital projects have grown to more than $17 billion and projects are a combined 158 years behind schedule under the NDP government.

That’s why I’ve introduced a bill, the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act, to restore open, fair tendering on public infrastructure.

Contracts should be awarded based on merit, safety, qualifications, experience, price, and the ability to deliver results.

That’s common sense if we want to build projects faster and deliver better value for taxpayers.

[PCA @PCACanada]

PCA's President & CEO, Paul de Jong, expresses support for B.C.'s Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act and what it means for fair, open and competitive construction procurement in British Columbia.

Read PCA's full statement here: https://t.co/NoRVjwUBbA

#FairAndOpenTendering #OpenCompetition #FairProcurement #BuildCanada #BCConstruction #ConstructionPolicy

[PCA @PCACanada]

This Women in Construction Week, PCA recognizes the women across our member companies who are leading projects, managing teams, mentoring apprentices and driving innovation across Canada’s construction industry.

As Canada faces labour shortages and major infrastructure demands, expanding opportunity and participation in the workforce is critical.

Supporting women in construction isn’t symbolic — it’s essential to building the skilled workforce Canada needs.

#WomenInConstructionWeek #WIC #SupportingWomenInConstruction

[PCA @PCACanada]

PCA’s President & CEO, Paul de Jong, enjoyed a productive conversation with Alberta Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Martin Long, following presentation of the 2026 Budget.

Read our news release here: https://t.co/411xOLqChI