PCA Welcomes Competition on Public Projects in Manitoba

It’s taken a long time to get here, but now, all Manitobans stand to benefit from the passage of Bill 13, according to the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) whose member companies build major infrastructure projects across Canada.

“This legislation is about fairness,” said Paul de Jong, President of the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA). “We are delighted that not only our companies, but all construction companies and their workers finally have the opportunity to build public projects in Manitoba. For far too long they’ve been shut out of projects paid for by their tax dollars.”  

Bill 13, the Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Act opens up competition by giving all companies the chance to bid on public projects, regardless of union affiliation. PCA has long been a strong advocate of doing away with discriminatory provisions of Manitoba Project Labour Agreements (PLAs) which required all workers to join a union in order to work on large public infrastructure projects.

“We commend the government for recognizing the benefits of healthy construction competition,” added de Jong. “It ensures Manitoba taxpayers get good value on public projects, and that companies and workers get to build them based on the quality of their bids and performance, not which union they affiliate with. That’s the way it should be in Manitoba, and in every province.”

PCA strongly encourages all provincial governments to follow Manitoba’s lead, including Ontario, where restrictive Project Labour Agreements continue to determine which workers and companies can build key projects funded by the public.