I'm just joking.
Thanks for inviting us back. We are the Canadian building trades. We represent, at last count, I think close to 550,000 skilled trades workers across Canada, in every province and territory.
Today I will talk about innovation in the energy sector—I call it “employment innovation”—and I'll take you through some of the things that are actually helping industry and helping skilled trades workers across Canada.
The energy sector in Canada is actually putting people to work. There isn't too much construction going on in the manufacturing sector. The infrastructure work is largely done, although there are enormous issues arising out of infrastructure renewal in large cities and towns. Except for some big municipalities—Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa—there isn't too much in the hopper, so to speak, for the people we represent other than in the energy sector. No other sector puts as many of our members to work. On any given day, about half of our national membership is working on a job site that's related to energy.
To the building trades, innovation is about going to work. It's about the place to train the cohort of highly skilled workers who will replace the members of the baby boom generation who are starting to leave today. The energy sector saved Canada, quite frankly, during the recession, especially with our workers, and we hope to continue.
If you look at my testimony from the finance committee of November 19, you will see some additional statistics around the members we represent and actual work volumes, etc., in the energy sector. I wanted to get to some other things today, but that is there.
Construction projects associated with oil sands and pipelines and other energy products certainly are game changers for construction workers. These are national megaprojects that require a national workforce.
I'll mention some things we are working on. First is an emerging drug and alcohol policy. We're doing one test with multiple employers in Alberta. It means getting to work faster and for less money for the worker and the company. This is innovation at work in the building trades: getting to work faster. It's the same as aligning the welding tests from province to province. On energy projects, we are able to test policy that affects training, and we're able to streamline some of the testing requirements to get onto job sites.
We are working on safety training across the country. Large energy projects, especially in Alberta, are an opportunity to test those policies.
There are other unique training opportunities. I talk about northern Alberta, or about a nuclear project; they generally act like a large classroom for training construction apprentices. Let's say there are 2,000 journeypersons on a job site. It means there can be three times as many apprentices learning a construction trade on that project.
We are also working on things like Helmets to Hardhats. In that program, we're helping veterans transition from the military into the skilled trades. I think we have over 1,000 files right now that we're working on. In the military there are trades parallel to those in the civilian workforce. When those folks are done—the average age of military members when they leave is decreasing—we're able to put them to work in high-paying jobs.
In terms of other innovation, in Windsor, Ontario, there isn't too much economic activity, so we're doing practical things to make sure that the people who are in Windsor have the training to go to other places to work. In Windsor we're training to Alberta, Newfoundland, and Saskatchewan standards so that members can get on the plane and go and work on large energy projects.
As you can see, the impact of the energy sector is national, and the impact is large on our organization.
For areas that have the ability to train, like northern Alberta for pipeline jobs, people who are unemployed need to have access and opportunities. These projects give those people opportunities to go to work.
People travel to support their communities at home. If you ask someone in Fort McMurray where they're from, more than half of them will say they're from somewhere else. So these projects really are opportunities for the entire country.
I have a few other things. I don't want to diminish their importance by their placement in my remarks.
There's the mobility of apprentices, and how young people from anywhere in Canada can go and get hours on their apprenticeship on any project. Let's say a pipeline project is approved. There is an opportunity for the apprentice from New Brunswick or from Nova Scotia, where there isn't a lot of work, to be able to go out there and work for a few summers on that pipeline.
What else is innovative? We're talking about things such as the diversity of workplaces. We're working with our contractors on aboriginal engagement in our workplaces. Traditionally these groups haven't been able to access work. Large energy projects provide the opportunity to put under-represented people directly to work.
Can I talk about U.S. politics? I don't want U.S. politics to drive Canada's success. There is a lot of noise about pipelines going to the west coast. I think those pipelines are important to diversify our markets. We already have 11 governments in Canada regulating where people go to work, etc. We don't need another one. The diversity of markets is important for Canada.
The east-west pipeline going from Alberta to Montreal or further points east is also important. That's sort of a nation-building exercise that we should seriously consider. It's probably the CP rail system of the next century.
That's pretty much it. I'd like to stop there, and if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to address them.
Thanks for the opportunity to come to speak.