Finance committee  You could probably ask the Department of Finance. They have probably done some research on the investment they've seen as a result of their change in policy with respect to fixed equipment and machinery. The dealers association would probably also have some metrics on that. I don't have anything specific that I could point to, other than anecdotal information, which wouldn't really be all that useful.

Finance committee  First off, I need to correct one thing, because my members would kill me otherwise. We never use the term “spending”; we always refer to it as “infrastructure investments”.

Finance committee  What we looked at was specifically construction equipment and the differences between the two countries. The depreciation rate in the United States is far more aggressive. Now, the Department of Finance will tell you that this is because corporate taxes in the United States are higher.

Finance committee  A lot of times it's immigrants who are new to the country, who don't have the language skills, and who need to upgrade those skills. A lot of times, it's safety training. In our industry, it's not simple. You can't just take somebody off the street and suddenly put them in construction.

Finance committee  What we have is some of our provincial associations being very much involved in training. That training is typically focused on those who are EI ineligible. The STEP program, which is something that is delivered by the B.C. Construction Association, is kind of held up as a model.

Finance committee  I don't believe I took a position on the infrastructure bank. If you ask me for my opinion—and this is really my own opinion—we certainly see some benefits to the government taking on...because it can borrow more cheaply than even provinces can, in most cases. There might be some benefit, but I think this whole issue of the infrastructure bank needs to be studied more carefully.

Finance committee  With regard to the terms “shovel-ready” and “shovel-worthy”, from our perspective, all construction projects that municipalities put forward were worthy. There was never a question of whether something shovel-ready wasn't worthy. Even resurfacing roads, which a lot of people complained about, was work that needed to be done.

Finance committee  I didn't say that. I said that I think what we need to do is ensure that the money is flowing. As for priorities, municipalities set those priorities. They too are elected, and I think they have a pretty good grasp of what their needs are. From our perspective, we don't take a position on whether something is shovel-worthy or shovel-ready.

Finance committee  I think our preference would be for a long-term infrastructure plan to try and eliminate the peaks and valleys in the construction industry. This is what we've been arguing for. The reason we are hoping that the money will find its way out in 2016 is that there are some areas of the country that could really use the additional stimulus.

Finance committee  I'm summing up. That would be our recommendation, which would be to take a look at the EI system and consider the adoption of an EI mobility grant to offset job-related expenses that the unemployed might incur. With that, I look forward to your questions.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, committee members, for providing the Canadian Construction Association this opportunity to present before you. Our association represents the non-residential side of the construction industry. I believe you heard this morning or sometime this afternoon from the Canadian Home Builders.