Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Canada's Building Trades Unions represent close to 500,000 members in Canada and more than three million in the U.S. We represent people who go to work every day on job sites large and small in the energy sector, and commercial and residential sec

Finance committee  So what's next? It's up to you, up to the finance committee, and up to the Minister of Finance to help a critical industry and help in-demand workers. ln previous reports your committee has recommended such measures, and we seek your support again. lt doesn't matter to industry

Finance committee  We get that it sounds like a good idea, and it sounds like it could assist, but then we keep waiting.

Finance committee  Well, I think there's uptake, but my sense is that the Department of Finance doesn't like it. At the end of the day, we have to have the political will in the country to get workers where we need them. Look, we're operating at 110% in terms of employment. We're scrambling and we

Finance committee  Yes, it's been costed and I have the auditor's statements. I can submit them to the committee if need be. It could work a number of ways. It could work like the home renovation tax credit. Remember how that spurred spending, people would go to the retail store and they got a per

Finance committee  If we could get 10 or 15 or 20 people to job sites we weren't otherwise going to have there and who we had to seek somewhere else in the world, that's assisting the shortage issue. Repositioning people in a more efficient way across our country is the goal.

Finance committee  We're starting to work with the National Association of Friendship Centres; we're trying to get in touch with the folks who have the competencies or want to have the competencies to get involved in construction. The friendship centres are for urban aboriginal folks. We're coming

Finance committee  Sure.

Finance committee  Sure.

Finance committee  If the employer is currently paying travel or lodging or a per diem, etc., that stuff wouldn't be claimable, obviously. This would be for anyone who's not getting that or for anything that's above and beyond what they're already receiving. We have collective agreements that set

Finance committee  But if you think about it—

Finance committee  Thank you for having me. Good evening, members of the committee. You've been at this a while, so congratulations. Canada's Building Trades Unions represents a half a million members across Canada. Together with our colleagues in the building trades in the United States there ar

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. I'll answer the last one first. To get more first nations and women into the trades, employers have to want to do it, so we have to work together with them to change the culture and the hiring practices in the economy. We have programs that we work on

Finance committee  Yes, sir. The problem is not that they can't get there—

Finance committee  The problem is that it's on the person to cover their travel expenses before they become employees in Toronto. Sometimes employers cover travel costs, or a portion of travel costs. In my two proposals, you can do it one of two ways. Say someone spends $2,000 in travel, you coul