March 22, 2013, Winnipeg, Man. – The Manitoba Heavy Construction
Association (MHCA) was encouraged by several important initiatives included in
yesterday’s federal budget, including the announcement of the new Building
Canada Plan and government commitment to improve labour market training
across Canada.
March 22, 2013, Winnipeg, Man. – The Manitoba Heavy Construction
Association (MHCA) was encouraged by several important initiatives included in
yesterday’s federal budget, including the announcement of the new Building
Canada Plan and government commitment to improve labour market training
across Canada.
“Sustained
investment in infrastructure fuels economic growth,” said Chris Lorenc, MHCA
President. “The investments announced in Ottawa help all governments in
Manitoba continue the process of infrastructure renewal to support a
competitive economy.”
The
budget announced yesterday $70 billion for infrastructure construction over the
next 10 years. This includes $47 billion for the new Building Canada Plan,
$7 billion for infrastructure construction on First Nations lands and $10
billion to improve federal buildings and infrastructure assets. Combined, these
investments will help ensure fluidity and predictability, while guaranteeing
the progress of the past seven years is not undermined by funding gaps created
between programs. The government also announced that the Gas Tax Fund will be
indexed at two per cent beginning in 2014-15.
MHCA was
also pleased with the government’s focus on improve labour market training.
Canada’s construction industry will need to attract hundreds of thousands of
new workers by 2020 in order to keep pace with retirements and increased
demand.
“Many
construction firms are experiencing shortages of skilled workers today and the
commitments announced in Ottawa should help remedy this situation,” said
Lorenc. “Getting skills development right will be critical for the construction
sector moving forward. With construction demand and industry retirements
expected to rise throughout the decade, there is no time to waste.”
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