The Canadian Construction Association was very pleased to learn of the proposed reforms to Canada’s immigration system, as outlined by the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in his keynote address to the National Metropolis Conference on Thursday.
“Canada’s current immigration system does not adequately address the needs of the Canadian construction industry or the projected growth of the Canadian economy,” said Michael Atkinson, president of the Canadian Construction Association. “On the surface, the reforms outlined sound like they would go a long way to addressing the challenges that employers currently face to bring in skilled workers, which would ultimately contribute to a more competitive Canadian economy.”
With the projected growth in the Canadian economy, particularly in resource-oriented sectors, the need for an efficient construction industry will remain paramount in order to sustain Canadian competitiveness. This also includes building and maintaining the critical core infrastructure required to support those sectors.
According to the Construction Sector Council, projections currently indicate that the Canadian construction industry will experience a shortfall of 325,000 workers by 2019. At the same time, demand for construction services in Canada is expected to continue increasing throughout the decade, elevating Canada’s construction market to fifth-largest in the world.
While domestic efforts to increase skilled worker training in Canada is equally important, Canada’s domestic population growth will not be able to singularly address industry needs. Because of this, immigration will remain a critical component of Canada’s overall economic competitiveness for years to come. The Canadian Construction Association looks forward to working with the Government of Canada to help make the Canadian immigration system more efficient, and help maintain Canada’s economic competitiveness.
About CCA
The Canadian Construction Association is the voice of the national non-residential construction industry. It represents over 17,000 members in an integrated structure of some 70 local and provincial construction associations. Construction has become a cornerstone of the Canadian economy. The sector employs 1.26 million Canadians or approximately 7 per cent of Canada’s total workforce. Annually, construction is responsible for nearly $90 billion in economic activity or 6 per cent of Canada’s overall Gross Domestic Product.