Thank you, Ms. Chabot.
Basically, it is important to remember that construction workers live in an extremely precarious situation, just as do construction contractors. There is huge competition when it comes to tenders and access to various projects.
As we said earlier, and as Mr. Lee also talked about, there must therefore be a certain ability to adapt to the risks and the capital needed for going into business. Construction contractors will not opt for innovative proposals on their own if they do not have the freedom to do it in a tender. The federal government has a huge role to play in this regard, because in awarding contracts or placing orders for certain projects, it could instigate these innovations and allow contractors to make the necessary proposal.
When we sat on numerous committees with employer associations in Quebec, we made some observations about the capacity to implement new things, such as a circular economy scheme for construction and demolition materials. We have noticed that if obligations, penalties or compulsory requirements are not imposed, the structuring changes needed in order to be able to recover the materials in good condition and reuse them in other projects will never be sufficient.
When the time comes to issue an invitation to tender, contractors try to submit the lowest bid, to be sure of getting the project. If it takes an hour or two more to be able to dismantle a house the right way, they will no longer be competitive.
So these things have to be requested in advance, and this calls for government intervention. We really need to think ahead about how we ask for buildings.