As host of the 2025 National Construction Labour Relations Alliance Conference in Calgary, CLRA Alberta welcomed industry leaders, government officials and workforce advocates from across Canada for two days of focused discussion on the future of skilled trades.
After the first day proceedings for REOs, EBAs, AMCC contractors, union international representatives and industry stakeholders, the full conference opened with remarks from NCLRA Chair Tony Fanelli who emphasized the need for collaboration across provinces and sectors to meet growing labour demands.
Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall followed with a clear call to action. He outlined how the Government of Alberta is investing in talent and challenged employer organizations to help attract youth to construction careers and support workforce development across regions.
Updates were provided by a number of partner organizations, and attendees also heard from Ben Rainforth, Alberta’s Skilled Trades Youth Ambassador.
Adam Legge from the Business Council of Alberta shared insights from “Laying the Foundation: Solving Labour Supply in the Skill Trades”, a report that highlights how reducing trade barriers and regulatory friction is key to solving labour supply challenges. His remarks reinforced the importance of policy alignment in enabling mobility and expanding opportunity for skilled workers.
Corey Hogan, Calgary Confederation MP and parliamentary secretary to the energy and natural resources minister, shared how the Major Projects Office has already identified infrastructure that will strengthen Canada’s economy. Labour mobility was highlighted as a key tool to ensure those projects and others to follow get built. The MPO plays a critical role in advancing large nation-building infrastructure, and Hogan called for stronger collaboration to meet workforce demands and support Canada’s skilled trades.
Jeff Griffiths from the Canada West Foundation discussed how enhanced apprenticeships and competency-based approaches can help address skills gaps, strengthen a union’s competitive advantage and improve safety outcomes. Globe and Mail journalist Andrew Coyne offered a broader economic perspective, examining how political shifts, tariff disputes, and federal policy decisions are influencing the construction sector and Canada’s overall economic outlook.
The conference concluded with a keynote from Craig MacTavish, former NHL player and executive, who spoke about building high-performing teams in fast-paced environments. From communication and culture to leadership, tech and talent development, his message was clear: great teams succeed when they trust each other, adapt quickly and stay aligned on a shared goal.
For CLRA, hosting this year’s NCLRA Conference was an opportunity to showcase the province’s leadership in labour relations and workforce strategy. It also reinforced our mandate to foster productive relationships between employers and unions, support policy that enables growth, and help build a resilient, future-ready workforce.
We thank all participants for their contributions and look forward to continued collaboration and the 2026 conference in Quebec.
