Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

NDP’s Failed CBA Policy Must Go (Independent Contractors and Business Association)


The blockade of the R.W. Bruhn Bridge Highway 1 project by the Splatsin First Nation is a direct and deeply troubling consequence of the B.C. Government’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) framework – a failed, discriminatory policy that excludes the vast majority of B.C.’s construction workforce, contractors, and Indigenous-owned businesses.

“The irony is staggering: a government that claims to champion reconciliation has created a policy that shuts Indigenous contractors out of meaningful opportunities on taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects,” said Chris Gardner, President and CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA). “The Splatsin protest should be a wake-up call for the NDP – reconciliation cannot happen when your hiring system prioritizes political allies over fairness and inclusion.”

Under the CBA policy, hiring must flow through the government-designated union hall run by a newly-created and costly crown corporation, BC Infrastructure Benefits, sidelining non-union and independent Indigenous contractors as well as unions not selected by NDP government – which, combined, make up more than 85% of the province’s construction workforce. 

This isn’t the first time the NDP have cut out Indigenous contractors. In 2023, Jon-Co Contracting, a company owned and operated by Cowichan Tribes member Jon Coleman, was excluded from building a hospital in his own community.

Actions by the Splatsin and Coleman underscore another failure of the NDP’s CBA scheme. “These CBAs were sold to the public as a way to ensure there would be more opportunities for people on taxpayer-funded projects – and yet here is another example of an expensive, bureaucratic program failing not only the men and women in construction but also taxpayers,” said Gardner. “Every CBA project is behind schedule and over budget. The NDP’s CBA framework is a barrier to Indigenous economic participation, a burden on taxpayers, and a political giveaway to a handful of favoured unions.”

ICBA calls on the B.C. Government to immediately scrap the CBA model and return to open, transparent, fair and inclusive procurement practices – ones that opens doors and opportunities for all contractors, not just the politically connected few, and saves taxpayers money in the process.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tourists Rack Up $200M in Unpaid Health Bills While BC Patients Wait Years for Care

While British Columbians wait years for basic medical care, the NDP government has allowed non-residents to rack up $200.6 million in unpaid health bills since 2020-2021. New research from SecondStreet.org, obtained through a freedom of information request, revealed that people from outside Canada are coming to BC, receiving health services, and leaving without paying their bills.  The losses span every health region in the province. "British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health. "Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists' health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.” The research found BC has the worst record of any province in Canada examined so far. Under a dec...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Finance Minister Given "F" on Report Card by Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centres and Official Opposition Finance Critic, released the following statement in response to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's 2026 Finance Minister Report Card, which ranked BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey dead last among provincial finance ministers in Canada with an overall grade of "F":  "British Columbians didn't need a report card to know things are headed in the wrong direction. They see it every time they pay their bills, try to buy a home, or watch another government deficit pile up. But now an independent national organization has confirmed that NDP Brenda Bailey is the worst-rated finance minister in Canada. "After nearly a decade of decline under this NDP government, British Columbia has become a province where people pay more, government borrows more, and families get less in return. We have some of the highest debt in the country, repeated credit downgrades, and no credible plan to get our finances back on...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more