Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
The Liberal government narrowly survived a confidence vote Monday as the House of Commons approved the federal budget, allowing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority government to avoid a snap election.
Two weeks ago, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) welcomed the draft budget, highlighting investments in infrastructure, housing, and defence as critical for Canada’s economy and for the businesses and workers who build the country’s homes, transportation networks, and other essential projects.
“Canada has underinvested in critical infrastructure for decades,” said Rodrigue Gilbert, president of CCA, when the draft budget was released. “These investments reflect the essential role of housing-enabling infrastructure in addressing the national housing shortage and committing substantial resources to these projects.”
The budget proposes $115 billion for infrastructure, including $51 billion for local projects such as housing and transportation, and funding for the Major Projects Office to help address longstanding delays in approvals for major infrastructure projects.
CCA also highlighted the importance of foreign credential recognition, but cautioned that the programs are currently too narrowly focused on unionized training. “Union training programs play an important role in building Canada’s workforce, but we must ensure equitable access to training and credential recognition for all workers, including the 70 per cent of Canada’s construction workforce that is non-unionized,” Gilbert said. “If we want to build more homes and infrastructure faster, we need investments that don’t leave the majority of workers behind.”
The association supported the government’s ambition to strengthen domestic industry, but stressed that procurement policies must not unintentionally restrict the construction supply chain. “Canada’s builders depend on a reliable flow of materials and components. Continued dialogue with the construction sector is critical to ensuring that domestic sourcing policies strengthen rather than constrain Canada’s ability to build,” Gilbert said.
He added: “We look forward to working with the federal government to ensure domestic sourcing policies strengthen — not constrain — Canada’s construction capacity. When government and industry work together, we can deliver more skilled workers, modern infrastructure, and stronger communities. Together, we build Canada.”
The federal budget, which projects a deficit of $78.3 billion, is intended to offset economic impacts from U.S. tariffs while funding major infrastructure, housing, and defence initiatives — areas the construction sector says are central to Canada’s long-term growth.
