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, si...
A discussion on political, economic and social issues in British Columbia, and Canada