Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) is urging skilled trades workers across the country to unite behind major infrastructure and energy projects as Canada contends with ongoing tariff disputes and a shifting global economy.
Speaking at the Building Trades of Alberta conference, CBTU Executive Director Sean Strickland said that as Canada works through trade negotiations and what he described as unjust tariffs, it is essential for the organization’s member unions to support projects that bolster the country’s economic and energy sovereignty. Strickland framed the moment as one requiring solidarity among the “brothers and sisters” of Canada’s building trades.
Alberta’s Role in National Project Pipeline
According to CBTU, Alberta is positioned to play a significant part in this broader push, with an unprecedented volume of major projects expected in the province across industrial, infrastructure, and energy sectors. The organization pointed specifically to energy infrastructure development as an urgent national need.
CBTU characterized these upcoming projects as more than economic opportunities, framing them as a means for Canada to strengthen its capacity to produce and export its own resources while generating unionized employment for skilled tradespeople nationwide.
A Coordinated Push Across Provinces
CBTU said it and its affiliated unions and provincial councils are prepared to support this effort by coordinating across provinces, trades, and sectors. The organization argued that advancing major projects collaboratively would help reinforce Canada’s energy independence and national sovereignty, strengthening the country’s standing both domestically and internationally.
Canada’s Building Trades Unions represents 14 international unions across the construction, maintenance, and fabrication industries. The organization states its membership totals 500,000 skilled trades workers across more than 60 trades and occupations, and that these workers collectively generate seven per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. CBTU says its mission includes advocating for public policy and employment opportunities that benefit its membership and improve working conditions for construction workers across the country.
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