Canadian and Design Construction writer
Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) is calling on federal, provincial and territorial labour ministers to accelerate efforts toward national harmonization of construction safety training standards, arguing that fragmented rules across jurisdictions are slowing projects and adding unnecessary costs.
The appeal was made in April at the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Annual Meeting of Ministers responsible for Labour. CBTU Executive Director Sean Strickland told ministers the current system, where each province and territory maintains its own safety training requirements, creates “onerous delays” for workers and employers.
In his remarks, Strickland said Canada needs to strengthen its economic resilience by improving efficiency in labour mobility and training recognition across the country.
“We all know that in the current economic and geopolitical context, Canada needs to build a more diverse, resilient, and efficient economy. Governments, private and public sector organizations, and unions: we all bear part of the responsibility for driving this progress forward,” he said.
Strickland also pointed to commitments made by First Ministers last January to advance labour mobility, including an agreement to “accelerate work to recognize priority health and safety requirements in the construction sector by Fall 2026.”
He said representatives from major general contractors were present at the meeting and voiced strong support for harmonizing safety training requirements across jurisdictions.
“This is not an issue for one or two provinces, but a ‘whole of Canada’ issue,” Strickland said. “Workers are on board. Contractors are on board. First Ministers agree. It’s time to stand up for Canada’s construction tradespeople.”
CBTU is proposing that harmonization begin with seven priority safety areas, including working at heights and fall prevention. Under the approach, what are considered leading training standards would be adopted nationally as benchmarks.
Strickland said aligning requirements would mean safety training completed in one province would be recognized across all jurisdictions.
“As a result, worker safety will be improved and training received in one region will automatically be recognized in all other jurisdictions, at the highest standard, improving both safety and productivity,” he said.
Canada’s Building Trades Unions represents 14 international unions across the construction, maintenance and fabrication sectors, collectively advocating for more than 600,000 skilled trades workers nationwide.
