This week, Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at improving the free flow of goods, services, and workforce talent between provinces. American tariffs (including 50% on steel and aluminum) are spurring Canada to turn inward to boost its competitiveness via easier domestic trade. A central theme of the MOU was simplifying the requirements for regulated professions – including the skilled trades – allowing workers to fill labour shortages by enabling freer interprovincial movement. Greater mobility across borders will give more tradespeople the ability to move where the work is, without being delayed by lengthy approval processes. While details are still emerging on how specific trades will be impacted, this agreement is part of a broader, Canada-wide push to break down interprovincial trade barriers. Similar memoranda have already been signed with Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick; collectively, these agreements can unlock up to $200 billion in economic potential. Another notable commitment made in the MOA was to explore the possibility of Ontario joining the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA). The NWPTA – currently between Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and B.C. – automatically recognizes professionals and skilled

The Public Policy Forum’s recent report, Build Big Things, is a national call to action, and Alberta’s construction industry is at the heart of the opportunity. Canada is entering an era of historic infrastructure expansion to meet ambitious climate and economic goals. From clean energy projects to critical minerals and transportation infrastructure, the scale of what needs to be built is unprecedented. For Alberta’s unionized construction workforce, this represents both a challenge and a chance to lead. What’s Coming: Why It Matters Massive Build-Out Ahead To meet net-zero goals, Canada must double or triple electricity generation capacity. That means new hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, and transmission projects. Alberta’s strengths in energy construction make it a key player in this national transformation. Faster Approvals, Smarter Planning Bottlenecks in project permitting and regulatory approvals must be addressed. Provinces like B.C. and Nova Scotia are streamlining environmental assessments—cutting wait times and getting shovels in the ground sooner. Alberta must stay competitive by keeping project timelines efficient and predictable. Addressing Labour Supply Labour shortages remain a major barrier. Alberta’s unionized workforce offers a competitive advantage in skills training, safety, and productivity, but investment in recruiting and retaining tradespeople is more critical than ever. Indigenous

The Canadian construction industry has an aging workforce and in the coming decade will lose almost a quarter of its skilled workers to retirement. At the same time, forecasts indicate that – in the medium- to long-term – the industry will continue growing. To fill the vacancies left by retiring baby boomers and meet the demands of this anticipated growth, the industry will need to recruit and train thousands of new workers – sooner rather than later. CLRA believes intentional, collaborative conversations with our industry partners are crucial to addressing the skilled labour shortage. We were pleased to host a reception and panel discussion yesterday on Attracting and Retaining Skilled Labour in Alberta. Held at the QEII Building in downtown Edmonton, we welcomed government, education, training and industry representatives to connect over the shared issue of building Alberta’s skilled labour workforce. Panelists included Honourable Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, Laura Jo Gunter, President and CEO of NAIT, Mike Holden, VP of Policy & Chief Economist with BCA, and CLRA President and CEO Joe McFadyen. Panelists spoke about the need for partnerships and collaboration, the increasing importance of technology in the trades, and what CLRA calls “seed vs.