Progressive Contractors
Association of
Canada (PCA)
www.pcac.ca
Darrel Reid, VP Policy and Advocacy
Federal Elections Analysis
October 21, 2015

Liberal Government 2015:
What to watch for
2

Environmental Assessment
• Public review of Canada’s environmental assessment
processes – National Energy Board
• Include an analysis of upstream impacts and the
greenhouse gas emissions in federal environmental
assessments
• Moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s
North Coast
Implications
• More environmental red tape
• Northern Gateway is dead
3

• Maintain commitment to reducing Canada’s emissions by
30% below 2005 levels by 2030
• Create national emissions-reduction targets
• Incorporate climate resilience into federal infrastructure
programs, and climate impact analysis into federal
government contracting
• Introduce a national cap-and-trade plan with the goal to
reduce emissions by 80% by 2050
Implications:
• Uncertain – successive Lib and CPC Governments said
lots, did little
• Will encourage provinces to toughen regime, enact or
raise carbon price
4
Climate Change

• Implement a $200 million annual increase in funding for
provinces and territories and focus on training for workers
not currently eligible for federal training investment
• Renew and expand funding by $50 million to the
Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy
• $25 million in spending per year in training facilities,
partnering with labour unions so that more facilities have
the equipment they need to train workers
• Implement a $500 million annual increase in funding to
the Labour Market Development Agreements with
provinces and territories
Implications:
• More money to access for training
5
Training

• Raise CPP premiums
• Reduce the small business income tax rate from 11% to
9%
• Increase enforcement resources for the CRA to ensure tax
liabilities are collected
• Waive Employment Insurance premiums for 12 months for
companies that hire young Canadians between the ages of
18 and 24 into a permanent position between 2016 to
2018
Implications:
• Higher employer contributions
• Higher administrative burden
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Taxes

• Work with employers and workers to determine an
appropriate apprenticeship ratio for all federal
infrastructure projects
• Work with provinces, territories and post-secondary
institutions to develop or expand Pre-Apprenticeship
Training Programs through a commitment of $10 M per
year
Implications
• Possible mandatory apprenticeship ratios?
• More funding for pre-apprenticeship
7
Apprenticeship

• Create 40,000 youth jobs (including 5,000 youth green
jobs) each year for the next 3 years by investing $300 M
more in the renewed Youth Employment Strategy
• Double the almost 11,000 Canadians who access Skills
Link each year
Implications:
• More assistance for hiring young workers
• Opportunities for accessing marginalized worker groups?
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Jobs

• Increase federal infrastructure spending from $65 billion to
nearly $125 billion over 10 years
• More federal support for municipalities applying finance
infrastructure projects
• Establish the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to provide low-
cost financing to build new infrastructure projects
• Issue Green Bonds and make green infrastructure projects more
attractive to private investors
• Invest $500 million in spending over the next 3 years for
immediate First Nations education infrastructure
Implications:
• Significant increase in infrastructure spending across the board –
ICI
• Much of this will involve transfers to the provinces
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Infrastructure

• Raise CPP premiums
• Enhance the Canada Pension Plan and work with Quebec
to similarly enhance the Quebec Pension Plan
Implications:
• Higher employer pension contributions
• Likely that ON will scrap or highly modify its plans for
ORPP
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Pensions

• Support Keystone XL
• Conditional support for Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain XL
(require environmental, community support)
• Northern Gateway is dead
• Conditional support for Energy East (require provincial,
community support)
Implications:
• Unclear. The Liberals understand the importance of the
energy sector and getting products to market. Will they
champion these projects in the face of political opposition?
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Pipelines

• Increase investment in public transit by nearly $6 billion
over the next four years, and almost $20 billion over 10
years Enhance the Canada Pension Plan and work with
Quebec to similarly enhance the Quebec Pension Plan
Implications:
• Noticeable increase in infrastructure spending and
transfers to the provinces
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Public Transit

• Raise EI premiums
• Reduce waiting period for Employment Insurance benefits for a
worker who loses their job, so they will only be without income
for one week, not two (beginning in 2017)
• Reverse EI reforms that force unemployed workers to move
away from their communities and take lower-paying jobs
• Make EI parental leave more flexible by providing parents with
the option to receive their benefits in smaller blocks of time over
the first 18 months of their child’s life, or take a longer leave (up
to 18 months) at a lower benefit level
• More flexible and accessible Employment Insurance
Compassionate Care Benefit
Implications:
• Higher EI costs
• Higher administration costs
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Employment Insurance

Questions?
.www.pcac.ca