Transport committee  I'm not aware of Canada's Building Trades Unions being directly consulted, but I would think that some of our affiliates and local councils may have been consulted.

Transport committee  First off, congratulations, Mr. Lewis, on your bill. What I was referring to was a bit more interprovincial mobility—for example, if you're in northern B.C. having to go down to southern B.C. to help with a disaster. Things like your mobility tax deduction will assist with that.

Transport committee  Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee on the study of adapting infrastructure to face climate change. My name is Rita Rahmati, Canada's Building Trades Unions government relations manager. I'm joined here today by my colleague Mike Gordon, the director of training for UA Canada, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry.

Transport committee  As we look to adapt infrastructure, we need to make sure we have the labour force available to undertake massive retrofits, the rebuilding of bridges, roads, homes, and beyond. Oftentimes when there is a natural disaster, construction workers will halt their regularly scheduled work to support the immediate needs of the community impacted, as was the case in B.C. in 2021 when there were massive flooding and mudslides.

Transport committee  In addition to adapting our buildings, the Canadian government also needs to continue to address climate change long-term and reduce Canada's emissions. We need support for technologies, like carbon capture utilization and storage, that reduce emissions from traditional sources of energy, like fossil fuels.

Finance committee  Yes. That's something we've been working at gathering more information on, and we should have more information to share with you and the committee in the coming weeks. What we have gathered from speaking with our board members, who represent 14 different international affiliated unions and over 60 different trades, is that there are certain parts of the country—such as Ontario and British Columbia—that are most in need of workers and, in particular, trades workers.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. We think the federal government could do a better job through mechanisms that already exist—like Statistics Canada—in gathering data not only on employment currently but where we forecast employment to be in five years and 10 years, particularly when it comes to the energy sector.