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While some may question what’s wrong with the country, the people building it every day remind me of what’s right.
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to visit jobsites across this country. From energy projects in B.C. and Alberta to manufacturing facilities in Ontario, mines in Quebec, potash projects in Saskatchewan, and critical infrastructure in communities large and small.
I’ve watched people who disagree about everything from politics to hockey spend 12 hours solving problems together.
That gives me hope. Because the Canada I see on jobsites looks very different from the Canada we often hear about.
It isn’t political or partisan. It’s a Canada where people from every province, every background and every walk of life show up every day to build something together.
Unionized tradespeople. Engineers. Operators. Apprentices. New Canadians.
People who may disagree on all kinds of things, but who share a common purpose when they arrive to work each morning.
I saw it firsthand in Kitimat, home to the country’s first LNG export facility and the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history.
LNG Canada brought thousands of workers together from across Canada to build one of the most ambitious projects our country has ever undertaken. For years, people travelled long distances, spent time away from their families, learned new skills, trained apprentices and worked side by side to turn a bold idea into reality.
But when I was there what struck me most wasn’t just the scale of the project. It was the sense of purpose.
Every person on that site knew they were contributing to something bigger than themselves.
It was a chance to learn a trade. A chance to support a family. A chance to be part of something you’ll point to years later and say, “We built that.”
And now, as Canada looks toward the next generation of major projects, those opportunities keep coming.
Whether it’s LNG Canada Phase 2, and the supporting Coastal GasLink, the nuclear refurbishments and new builds in Ontario, critical minerals projects, new energy infrastructure, or major industrial developments across the country, we’re ready.
I know for a fact, if we invest in Canadians, train Canadians and trust Canadians to build, we’ll be just fine.
People are quick to point out what’s wrong with Canada. I’ve spent years on jobsites seeing what’s right.
The question isn’t whether Canadians can build major projects. We’ve already answered that. The real question is how far can we go.
The talent is here. The workforce is here. The ambition is here.
As we mark the country’s 159th birthday, it’s clear that Canada still works. Now let’s build what’s next.
Sean Strickland is the Executive Director at Canada’s Building Trades Unions.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.
