There is a labour shortage in the construction industry. We're already having trouble recruiting people. We would like to have local workers to be able to meet demand within a province.
For example, when workers come from outside the country for major construction projects, that creates problems in terms of logistics and housing. It also shuts down the local economy because, if the projects are very big, the contracts will always be awarded to outside companies, not local ones. Why would I go out and buy a crane? Why expand my business if the contracts are going to be awarded to outsiders? That might be an obstacle, but we have to strike a fair balance.
There's a certification seal for construction workers in Canada. I forget the name of it. That industry is about the most integrated of industries.
We have to be careful when talking about workers. A lot of things have happened. We've seen what the removal of barriers in the trucking industry has done in terms of health and safety. There have been deaths on the roads.
What scares us is creating a situation where whoever has the weakest regulations will prevail. As I said earlier, construction workers accounted for half of the 257 people killed on the job this year in Quebec.
It's very important to speak the language, because if you don't speak it, you won't understand the safety measures. There was a death at La Grande Roue ferris wheel in Montreal. The instruction manual from La Grande Roue had not been translated into French, so the worker didn't know what to do.
Some rules are unnecessary, while others save lives.