July 21 , 2008 - NEWS RELEASE

Contractors Support Labour Mobility Agreement

Burnaby, B.C. – Leaders of Canada's largest open shop construction associations are calling the agreement on labour mobility reached by Provincial and Territorial First Ministers an historical and vital development for Canadians.

The agreement, to be implemented in 2009, will allow many of the over one million people working in Canada's construction industry to pack up their tools in one province and use them in another without having to deal with needless red tape.

In Edmonton, Merit Contractors Association President Stephen Kushner stated, "Tradespeople across Canada have faced archaic and inconsistent rules when seeking work in another province for too long. Overcoming the needlessly high and thick barriers these rules created has prevented qualified tradespeople from moving to where their skills are most needed. With ongoing acute shortages of skilled tradespeople, Canada's construction industry can no longer afford the luxury of provincial protectionism."

These sentiments are echoed in Vancouver by Independent Contractors and Businesses Association President Philip Hochstein. According to Hochstein, "The agreement reached by First Ministers builds on the momentum started by the British Columbia and Alberta governments when the Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) was signed in 2006. While the reforms to fully implement TILMA continue to be a work in progress, the principles on which the agreement is based are guiding a process that will result in significantly less drag on BC and Alberta provincial economies. With all provinces and territories moving in the same direction with respect to labour mobility, Canadians across the country will benefit by these efficiencies."