Finance committee  We've outlined a number of scenarios. For a pilot project, the first-year implementation cost is approximately $4 million, with a payback of about $16 million once you take back EI, etc.

Human Resources committee  Good afternoon, Chair, members of the committee, and fellow hostages of the committee. Jack and Gary are good folks, and I'm happy to be on a deserted island with them today. A little bit about us: we are the Canadian building trades and represent 14 international construction u

Human Resources committee  Hopefully, with leadership from this committee, we can get to the actual business of bringing folks into Canada to address labour market demands. Our employers will be better for it, our unions will be better for it, and purchasers of construction, such as big oil or big energy c

Human Resources committee  On the industrial side, the trades are on the list. If a steamfitter is coming from England or Germany, they are currently assessable under the foreign skilled worker program. The 15 industrial trades we are responsible for are currently moderately well represented in the program

Human Resources committee  Sorry, I don't want to jump in, but we are talking about two silos here: permanent immigration, and temporary immigration. When we talk about permanent immigration, there's an historical issue with people in the construction trades. Say you have a four-year apprentice program fro

Human Resources committee  Sure, or everything should be expanded into one bucket, so at least we know what we're looking for in this country. It may be red seal or provincial buckets, but let's do things once, not eleven--

Human Resources committee  On barriers to newcomers, if there's some sort of equivalency and a system is set up to examine what they have and compare it to what Canada wants, there shouldn't be barriers. If you have your red seal, you're good to go anywhere in Canada.

Human Resources committee  It exists in small pockets; however, there's a mechanism to deal with that now. It's a unique situation between Ottawa and Hull. To be honest, it's generally the unions that get in the way of that. It's not necessarily anything other than that.

Human Resources committee  There's a list of occupations under pressure produced by HRSDC and CIC. There are 13 to 16. Generally, all the trades we represent are under pressure. The categories include everything from steamfitters to boilermakers to carpenters to cement.... The list is out there. It's a pub

Human Resources committee  It's a fair representation. Some of the things are changing. As you're aware, the “Beyond the Border” working group between us and the U.S. is continuing, and we're trying really hard to make sure that skilled labour, during periods of shortages in either country, is on the agend

Human Resources committee  No. If this contractor is looking for welders from inside Canada, there's a procedure. If he's looking for welders from outside Canada, there's a procedure. No, he doesn't go through us. This contractor would go to the Government of Canada and say that he can't find workers in h

Human Resources committee  If that individual has the red seal accreditation or a ticket from Quebec, it's recognized in every province in Canada. He may have trouble getting there. He may have mobility issues, because oftentimes that money is not covered. So if he has to get on the plane himself to get ou

Human Resources committee  We are the unions. But usually if people are bringing in temporary foreign workers onto a construction site, there is a process where they have to indicate that there is no current labour dispute on that construction site. And if it's a unionized site, they have to notify the col

Human Resources committee  Sure, if we can come up with a way to give more people the opportunity to write the red seal program in different ways, let's do it. As long as we can ensure the integrity of the test and the integrity of the test-giving system, let's do it. There is a practical component, so tha

Human Resources committee  I agree. I want to make sure that it's not simply the ability to pass the test, but that the candidate or the person actually has the associated competencies that are being tested. So we need to make sure that the hours are verifiable with past employers; we want to make sure tho