Constructive Thinking

Brian Dijkema, President of Cardus and Paul de Jong, PCA’s President & CEO, continue a three-part series exploring the impacts of the ongoing tariff dispute. The conversation examines the motivations behind tariffs, Canada’s response, and what these developments mean for the country’s workforce. Special attention is given to labour supply and barriers to worker mobility in the context of the federal government’s Build Canada Strong initiatives.

PCA’s President & CEO, Paul de Jong, speaks with Sean Speer of The Hub, unpacking the underlying motivations of the U.S. administration in its ongoing drive to re-engineer trade between Canada and the United States.

Ontario’s residential construction sector is one of the largest economic engines in the province and has a robust regulatory framework in place to ensure high standards for new home buyers. Stephen Hamilton, PCA's Ontario Director, sits down with Wendy Moir, CEO and Registrar of Ontario’s new Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) to discuss the work of the HCRA and how the organization holds licensed builders to professional standards for competence and conduct.

PCA now has a dedicated full-time voice in Ottawa. In this episode, PCA VP of Public Affairs, Darrel Reid, speaks with PCA's Director of Federal Relations, Jason Tucker, about federal advocacy, political conventions, parliamentary monitoring, and why Canada’s productivity challenge requires all construction hands on deck. Jason explains how PCA is building relationships across party lines, pushing back against narrow assumptions about unionized construction, and making the case for fair, open, and labour-neutral rules so every qualified contractor can compete.

PCA’s President & CEO, Paul de Jong, speaks with Ian Anderson, former CEO of Trans Mountain Corporation, who shares his perspectives and best practices developed for and implemented on the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project. Ian provides his views on the Ottawa-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which intends to build a new bitumen pipeline to Pacific tidewater, and concludes with discussion on his latest project in support of Energy Alberta’s plans to build a nuclear reactor in north-western Alberta.

PCA recently met with Premier David Eby, Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma, and senior B.C. government officials to discuss British Columbia’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) framework and its exclusionary impact on PCA/CLAC contractors. In this episode, PCA's Jason Tucker speaks with colleagues Darrel Reid and Dan Baxter about why this meeting matters, what PCA told the Premier, how CBAs affect competition and workforce capacity, and why outcome-based procurement could help B.C. achieve its social goals without shutting out qualified unionized builders.

Without staff reports, public consultation or proper debate, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow introduced a motion at City Council that further limits the availability of contractors and workers to build City of Toronto projects. PCA staff Karen Renkema (Ontario VP) and Stephen Hamilton (Ontario Director) discuss the negative impact this will have for taxpayers, workers and small businesses  as we inch closer to municipal elections in the fall.

Paul de Jong, President & CEO of PCA, speaks with Stefan Rutkowski, President & CEO of Careers The Next Generation. Together, they discuss the rationale for Careers as a means of addressing youth unemployment, how industry and employers play a role, and what policies and solutions must be developed to address this important challenge.

Richard Van Egmond, the project leader of the provincial Edvance OYAP Program, joins Karen Renkema to discuss how the Edvance OYAP provincial program differs from local OYAP programs, provides critical support to young people interested in the trades, and offers support and flexibility to employers through the partnership between Edvance and CLAC. A critical listen for those employing young people, parents of students considering the trades, and students trying to understand their options for vibrant career choice.

This podcast session between PCA’s Paul de Jong and Bill Black, President and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association, unpacks the “Honour the Work” initiative. Honour the Work has been rolled out to over 950 Calgary area classrooms, in which students in grades 1-6 are provided with multidisciplinary kits providing hands-on activities that connect classroom learning to real-world trades.