Provincial Legislative Outreach

Over the past few weeks, the Supply-Build Canada team has been actively engaging with provincial governments to advocate for our industry. Below is a summary of our recent meetings with officials in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Stay tuned—updates from Manitoba and British Columbia will be shared later this month.

To get more involved with our advocacy efforts, please contact Liz Kovach lkovach@supplybuild.ca or 204.770.2416. 

Alberta Legislative Outreach

Supply Build Canada concluded legislative outreach days in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia over the last two weeks, with Manitoba outreach scheduled for later in May. Key areas of focus included the need for the federal government to negotiate a new softwood lumber agreement while ensuring the re-manufacturing segment of the industry is included as well, the need for the elimination of US tariffs, the removal of internal trade barriers within Canada, and supply chain concerns.  

Alberta outreach, on May 7th and 8th, began with the Hon. Matt Jones, who up until last week was Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade. Jones noted outreach that he and his colleagues had been doing in the United States, in the fight against the US administration’s tariffs on Canadian exports. 

We also discussed workforce development initiatives and how the funding was impacting industry initiatives in addition to brief discussion surrounding some future plans the team has in the works. We also had the opportunity to note how new technology is being used in housing construction, and the major investments being undertaken in both Calgary and Edmonton. 

Minister Jones noted efforts to enhance training and the province’s work toward trucking standards harmonization. Discussion also focused on some of the impacts of Canadian retaliatory tariffs on Canadian business along with aligning rules for Red Seal apprentices across provinces. 

Josh Bilyk, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors also met with us. The province is undertaking efforts to quantify the economic impact of highway and rail corridors across the province. Discussion also ensued on ensuring training opportunities for young persons entering the LBM sector. 

James Rajotte, Senior Advisor to Premier Danielle Smith, also engaged with our staff and members. Until recently, Rajotte had served as Alberta’s Representative to the United States, and provided excellent insight into the US political situation and the administration’s undertakings. Softwood lumber featured prominently into the discussion, and Supply-Build, as in other meetings, showcased the economic study and supply chain heat map of the LBM sector in Canada and the United States. 

Rajotte encouraged Supply-Build to continue engaging with other like-minded organizations in the United States, who appreciate the Canadian position of how tariffs and duties impact the American economy and increase costs for consumers south of the border. 

The lack of clarity on building codes and inconsistencies of their application was also addressed, including inefficiencies that drive-up home construction costs. Supply-Build noted the need for industry engagement during the planning phase of policy to help provide knowledge on potential impacts.  

Alberta has a dedicated minister responsible for red tape reduction, and Rajotte encouraged us to send ideas his way. We are working on compiling a list- so if members have feedback please send it to Liz Kovach @ lkovach@supplybuild.ca.

The Hon. Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure, along with his deputy minister and senior officials, also met with us. Discussion ranged from building codes, trucking backhaul concerns and the availability of rail service. 

The Minister and deputy minister committed to keep in contact with us to further collaboration.  

Our final Alberta meeting was with the Hon. Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry. The need for a softwood lumber agreement dominated the discussion, and the Minister noted how he had spoken to his BC counterpart earlier the same day and vowed to keep pressure on the federal government to secure an agreement.  

Saskatchewan Legislative Outreach

Supply-Build staff and members visited the Legislative Assembly in Regina on May 12th and 13th, beginning the outreach with Saskatchewan Party MLAs Darlene Rowden and Kevin Weedmark.

It was noted how Saskatchewan was the only province to permanently enshrine a home renovation tax credit, after having conducted a temporary program. We noted how the evidence indicates that, in addition to encouraging home renovation, the credit is beneficial to government coffers, creating a win-win scenario.

We continued to emphasize the need to secure a softwood lumber agreement. 

The MLAs were also familiarized with the “Let’s Go Build” program and the additional work that could be done with educational institutions in the province. Follow-up will occur to explore how to reach each of the province’s school divisions and the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre.

Housing affordability and red tape discussion were also noted.

We later met members of the NDP opposition caucus, including MLAs Jordan McPhail, April ChiefCalf, Hugh Gordon and Aleana Young. Softwood lumber was a primary focus, along with workforce development and career pathways in the LBM sector.

We noted the importance to partner with public sector leaders and emphasized the need to remove barriers to home construction.

Ideas were also shared including the impacts of removing the provincial sales tax on construction labour, the necessity for Canada to secure export markets beyond the United States, and the impacts of tariffs on both sides of the US/Canada border.

The Hon. Colleen Young, Minister of Energy and Resources, met with us on the second day and we had the opportunity to note the financial support provided by the SK government for workforce development and training.

Softwood lumber once again was a featured discussion point, along with the economic impact of the LBM sector in Canada, and the threat the softwood lumber duties and US tariffs have upon the industry.

The Minister’s departmental staff noted that the government is working on measures to help the lumber producers in the coming months. Building codes were also discussed, along with trucking backhaul challenges that ultimately lead to increased costs.

The Hon. Warren Kaeding, Minister of Trade and Export Development, opened the meeting by stating, “we need to build more!” to which everyone agreed.

We noted how the lumber industry needs the same type of focus as oil and gas, since the impending duties on softwood lumber will be crippling. Workforce development and business succession planning were also discussed. We also noted the importance of industry members to participate in government consultations.

Building code alignment was also referenced, and Minister Kaeding mentioned the recent introduction of an investment tax credit for small to medium sized enterprises. Kaeding also engaged on the topic of workforce development and how to reach youth, and pledged to follow-up.

The outreach wrapped up with a meeting with Ashley Anderson, Deputy Chief of Staff to Premier Scott Moe. We noted how our members are the nucleus of many communities, and how softwood lumber duties will hamper industry and be detrimental to rural communities especially.

The topic of building codes featured prominently, and Anderson demonstrated a keen knowledge of the subject matter. She offered excellent insight into the cooperation between Saskatchewan and other prairie provinces on interprovincial trade and regulatory harmonization and also committed to echoing SBC concerns to relevant ministers and staff.  

** Updates from Manitoba and British Columbia will be shared later this month. **

Liz Kovach
President
Supply-Build Canada