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We know that Canadians should be first in line for Canadian jobs, On the environment, that's the most compelling area and example
and we recognize the importance of the Building Trades and of that. You can't pretend to me that someone could have a plan
unionized labour in the construction of the pipelines. We are in for the future of our economy without having a plan to protect our
conversation right now both with the people responsible for the environment and fight climate change. That's just not where our
actual construction of the project and the labour unions to try and world is going. That's not where Canadians are going. That's not
make sure that we are maximizing the impact on communities, both where the nature of work is going. That's why we are so serious
through labour but also through benefits to indigenous communities about fighting climate change, but doing it in a way that supports
who, as we've seen very clearly over the past years, feel that they ordinary Canadians through this time of transition into a greener
are getting all the risks without any of the benefits and they want to economy. That's why in the provinces where we've had to bring in
be part of it as well, almost all of them. the federal backstop on pricing pollution, more money gets back to
80% of families than they actually pay in the extra costs for the price
It needs to be commercially viable, but it also has to be tangibly
of pollution. We know that the extra burden can't land on families.
and meaningfully beneficial not just to some people, but to Canada
That's why our plan to fight pollution actually helps workers, actually
in general and that's why we consider it's in the national interest.
helps families as we build the plan for the economy for tomorrow.
Peter:
Peter:
Canadians rank climate change as one of the most pressing issues
Canada's Building Trades Unions are working with the Aboriginal
we face. Canada's Building Trade Unions have been building
Apprenticeship Board of Ontario, who has received funding to set
projects for years safely and in an environmentally sound manner.
up offices in other provinces. Through our work, we know that many
We see the need to have a national education forum around energy,
of our Indigenous brothers and sisters have to travel at times for
promoting our resources, getting our resources to market, and
work. To ensure their hours when they travel are honoured, we need
doing it in a manner that ensures environmental stewardship. We
apprenticeship harmonization throughout Canada. They've done in
don't believe that we have to trade one for the other. That seems
it in Atlantic Canada. It started as a pilot initiative and has been
to be what's in people's minds though, that we need to compromise
highly successful. Do you think your government would be open to
our environment in order to build energy. What are your thoughts
doing something similar in other parts of Canada?
on this?
Justin Trudeau:
Justin Trudeau:
Absolutely. I've had a number of great conversations with Minister
That is something that I've been pushing against from the very
Patty Hajdu on this, and she was really pleased with what we were
beginning. It's something that, quite frankly, not just your members
able to do with the Atlantic provinces on this pilot project. But you
but Canadians in general know. You can't pretend there's a choice
do a pilot project because you want to show that it works and it
anymore between growing the economy and protecting the
should be expanded, and that's exactly what we're hoping for. It's
environment or between growing the economy and doing
something that we can't do without provincial agreement and
reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples or between growing the
leadership and there always ... I mean the nice thing is the
economy and lifting people out of poverty. Canadians know you have
conversations I've had with premiers, even some of the more
to do them all together because if you don't do any one of them,
conservative premiers, have been very open to reducing barriers.
none of the rest will really work. If you don't have jobs and
It's just it's one thing to say "Oh, yes. We believe in reducing
opportunities for Canadians, nobody's going to be worried about
barriers." It's another thing to actually go forward and do it. So,
the environment if they can't feed their kids and create a better
we're going to keep challenging, incentivizing, pushing our partners
future for them. But flip side, if you're not protecting the
across the country to do that because we believe that reduction of
environment, you're going to be bogged down in the courts and
inter- provincial barriers across the country, whether it's labor,
people will object to the energy projects, the investment projects
mobility, or anything else, is really, really important. So yes, we're
we're moving forward with, similar with Indigenous People.
going to be doing that.
So you're always going to see arguments by people trying to simplify
or polarize or take shortcuts that say "Oh, no. We'll just do this or
do that." Well you know what? Stephen Harper tried that for 10
years. He said we're going to minimize environmental processes
and ignore Indigenous Peoples and that'll allow us to ram through
all sorts of new projects. The opposite happened.
There was no support generally for the projects he was doing
because people didn't feel he was taking into account the big
picture or the long term. That's exactly what we've turned around.
We genuinely know, and Canadians know this too, that if you want
to get something done at all, you're going to have to do it right. That
doesn't mean getting unanimity. There's always going to be people
who are going to be concerned about this or concerned about that,
but it means listening to everyone's concerns and figuring out the
best way forward that's in everyone's interest.
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