CBTU concerned federal government move to
outsource construction for BC LNG project will
damage skills training and development
Canadian Design and Construction News
staff writer
The organization representing
Canadian skilled construction trades
workers has expressed concerns
about the federal government’s deci-
sion to provide full duty remissions
for steel from China to supply two
natural gas projects in British
Columbia Canada’s Building Trades Unions
(CBTU) says in a statement that the
two plants will be modularized, a rela-
tively new business model that allows
for a project to be built in smaller,
shippable pieces with all of the equip-
ment and components preinstalled
and then connected on site.
“Our workers build Canada, and
with changes in the way we do busi-
ness, we need to work closely with
industry and government on how to
balance progress while protecting
Canadian jobs,” CBTU director Arlene
Dunn said in a statement.
“The use of modules at the LNG
plant may very well address a lack of
domestic supply but these are not the
last modules to be used in Canada.
Government must sit with industry
and labour, as equal partners and dis-
cuss how to develop a plan on how
our domestic industry and subse-
quently Canadian workers, can meet
the needs of these projects in the
years to come.”
LNG Canada and Woodfibre LNG
are projected to create 10,000 jobs in
Canada, and the modules brought in
from China account for approximately
one third of the total steel required for
an LNG plant. The projects will re-
quire a range of steel products in ad-
dition to the modules that will create
more good jobs and opportunities for
Canada’s steel producers and work-
ers, the labour organization says.
“We appreciate the measures the
government has taken to protect the
Canadian steel industry, and while the
use of these modules may be a nec-
essary step to ensure these two pro-
jects move forward, it also sheds light
on the lack of capacity that currently
exists in Canada. In order for our train-
ing of skilled workers to be success-
ful, we need the job opportunities
that create a pathway to apprentice-
ship and completion,” Dunn said.
“This will allow Canadians to ad-
dress the skills trades shortage di-
rectly. We want to continue to work
with industry and government to
make that happen, but we need the
government to sit down with us as
serious partners. This will be the only
way to ensure Canadian workers
come first and we do not address the
skills shortage with temporary foreign
workers. We need a Canadian made
solution.” CBTU says in its statement that its
members “proudly recruit, train and
support over half a million skilled
trades workers across Canada. We in-
vest over $500 million to ensure our
members obtain consistent skills up-
grading and that we develop modern
training to meet the ever-changing
needs of industry.”
“Canada is facing a growing skills
trade shortage and it is paramount
that to address this problem, Canadi-
ans must be given work opportunities
– including the fabrication of modules
for LNG plants – and these opportuni-
ties be kept in Canada.”
The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Summer/Fall 2019 – 5