Merit Canada

11/13/2025

Taxpayers should get the best value for their money – and every qualified construction worker and contractor should have a fair shot at building public projects.

Today, Merit Canada joined Indigenous, labour, construction, resource and business groups representing more than one million workers in sending an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

We’re calling on Ottawa to keep federal projects open and competitive by:
• Saying no to building trades union-only monopolies that shut out most workers and companies;
• Not importing B.C.’s failed CBA experiment, which has meant higher costs, fewer bidders and fewer jobs for the 85% of construction workers who don’t belong to building trades unions;
• Supporting local contractors who are already training apprentices and building strong communities.

If your tax dollars are good enough to fund a project, your labour model should be good enough to bid on it.

Read our coalition letter to the Prime Minister here:https://merit-canada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PM-Carney-Open-Letter_Fair-Procurement_Nov2025_FINAL.pdf

09/23/2025

Four new schools should be a reason for celebration. Instead, a recent deal in Manitoba is raising alarm bells across the construction industry.

Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba President Yvette Milner and ICBA - Independent Contractors and Businesses Association President and CEO Chris Gardner teamed up to argue that the agreement behind these schools hands monopoly control to a narrow group of unionized trades, shutting out most workers and contractors -- especially merit-based companies -- and risking higher costs for taxpayers.

What this means:

• Reduced competition → fewer contractors competing on price and innovation.
• Many skilled tradespeople locked out if they don’t belong to certain unions or meet particular certifications.
• Inflated costs and delays, with taxpayers footing the bill.

A fair, transparent, merit-based bidding process isn’t just theory — it’s how to safeguard value, opportunity, and public trust. Manitobans deserve nothing less.

The full piece ran in today's Winnipeg Free Press, but here's a link to get around the Canadian Meta news ban.

https://icbaindependent.ca/2025/09/23/icba-op-ed-a-sweetheart-deal-that-will-cost-manitoba-taxpayers-dearly/

07/02/2025

TRAINING WEDNESDAY: Navigating Stress, Anxiety & Depression

Jordan and Kerry catch up on Meet the Generals and talk about ICBA's latest featured, free course.

In the high-pressure world of construction, mental health matters—yet stress, anxiety, and depression often go unnoticed until they derail productivity and safety. ICBA Training’s Mind Matters webinar gives you the tools to recognize warning signs, build resilience, and support well-being on-site and beyond.

🔍 What You’ll Learn
• The difference between stress, anxiety, and depression—and how to identify triggers
• The mental and physical impact of stress—and when personal coping starts to fail
• Practical ways to cope, boost resilience, and find help at home or work
• How exercise and physical activity support mental wellness

This session includes interactive polls, live word clouds, and Q&A using Slido—all designed to create a safe, confidential space.

📅 Course Details
• Date: July 22, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT (1 hour, Live Online)
• Cost: Free
• Format: Zoom Webinar with Slido-based participation
• Register at https://icbatraining.arlo.co/w/courses/624-mind-matters-navigating-stress-anxiety-and-depression/2913

No prerequisites—perfect for anyone in construction who wants to better understand mental health, build resilience, and support their teams.

💡 Why It Matters
• Prevention starts with awareness: Knowing the signs helps teams get support early
• Safety and productivity: Mental health is foundational to workplace safety and efficiency
• Strengthen your crew: Building a supportive environment improves morale and reduces conflict
• Resilience at scale: Small improvements in well-being add up to big gains in performance

Take the first step toward stronger mental well-being—yours and your team’s. Special thanks to CCI/Kanin Construction for their financial support of ICBA Wellness, and allowing us to offer these courses free-of-charge.

👉 Register now for this FREE session! https://icbatraining.arlo.co/w/courses/624-mind-matters-navigating-stress-anxiety-and-depression/2913

06/15/2025

Happy Father’s Day to every construction dad who’s ever said:

🛣️ “I poured that sidewalk.”
🏗️ “I drywalled that tower.”
🏠 “I built that whole neighbourhood.”

And a shout-out to their kids who’ve heard it… 100 times. 😉

You’re legends. Thanks for all you do!

03/14/2025

What a great announcement!

Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba has pledged $300,000 to RRC Polytech for an endowment fund and awards for apprenticeship trades students, and to support the School of Skilled Trades and Technologies.

The Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba is dedicated to representing the diverse needs and interests of open shop contractors in our province. In line with its commitment to the industry’s success, the organization has made a substantial contribution to the School of Skilled Trades and Techn...

03/06/2025

Merit Canada representatives from across the country gathered in Saskatoon last night to announce our support for Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada - Parti conservateur du Canada.

Thanks to CPC MPs Kelly Block, Brad Redekopp MP, Corey Tochor, and Kevin Waugh, MP for joining us... Can't wait to help you get re-elected, and to see what a strong, stable Pierre Poilievre-led majority government can do for Canada!

03/06/2025

NEWS RELEASE: Merit Canada Supports Pierre Poilievre’s Common Sense Conservative Party of Canada - Parti conservateur du Canada

SASKATOON -- Merit Canada, the national voice of Canada’s open shop construction associations representing more than 1.2 million Canadian construction professionals, announced last night it supports Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada in the next federal election.

“Canada is in deep economic decline and urgently needs change. Pierre Poilievre understands the challenges facing our country and is ready to take decisive action to secure our future,” said Merit Canada board chair Shane Stirling, a construction business owner from Northeast B.C. “With a clear commitment to turning around our economy, Pierre and his team will put Canada back on a path to prosperity by supporting the hard-working Canadians who wake up every day to build our communities – our entrepreneurs, tradespeople, contractors, and small business owners.”

Merit Canada is deeply concerned with the Trudeau Government’s ill-conceived policies that have made housing unaffordable for most working Canadians, choked off Canada’s natural resource and energy sector, chased away jobs and investment, shrunk paycheques and added higher taxes and punishing red tape for people and businesses.

Despite increasing immigration 15-fold, the Trudeau Government has failed to attract enough skilled trades workers to help build the homes and other infrastructure so desperately needed in Canada.

Merit Canada noted Poilievre’s commitment to unleashing builders to build millions of new homes, turning around the national economy by cutting needless overregulation, permitting responsible resource development projects faster, and working with thousands of builders and contractors to train more tradespeople.

“By removing unnecessary barriers and making Canada a more attractive place for investment, Poilievre will ensure that our resource sectors can compete and lead globally, creating high-paying jobs and bringing opportunities to communities across the country,” said Stirling. “For a stronger economy, more opportunity and investment, a common sense approach to government, and a future that puts Canadian families first, Pierre Poilievre is the leader we need to take Canada in the right direction.”

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Merit Canada is the national voice of Canada’s six provincial open shop construction associations (ICBA - Independent Contractors and Businesses Association B.C., ICBA - Independent Contractors and Businesses Association Alberta, Merit Ontario, Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba, MERIT Nova Scotia, and Merit Contractors Association Saskatchewan). Together Merit represents the companies and workers who build more than 75% of the industrial, commercial and institutional, and residential construction projects from coast to coast. More than 1.2 million tradespeople work in open shops, where belonging to a union is not a condition of employment. www.merit-canada.ca

11/27/2024

🇨🇦 Canada's housing capital stock has reached $4 trillion, accounting for 54% of the nation's total physical assets. Despite this substantial investment, the country faces a significant housing shortage, necessitating at least a doubling of homebuilding efforts to meet current and future demands.

But it's more than just housing that's a challenge, as ICBA Chief Economist Jock Finlayson points out: "If policymakers are serious about tackling Canada’s 'productivity emergency' and reversing the country’s eroding global competitiveness, they have no choice but to adopt a different economic growth model… one that prioritizes investment over consumption."

Read Jock's analysis: https://www.icbaindependent.ca/2024/11/27/icba-economics-measuring-the-housing-capital-stock/

11/14/2024

Great piece by Yvette Milner of Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba showing the unfairness (and high cost) of the Manitoba NDP government cutting 70% of construction professionals out of taxpayer-funded projects.

(Link at X below, as the Trudeau Government's silly fight with Facebook means Canadians can't post newspaper links here)

11/11/2024

To the heroes who sacrificed everything for our freedom: thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

We remember.

10/10/2024

💡Great content from Merit Contractors Association of Manitoba on World Mental Health Day...

In construction, physical safety is vital, but a truly healthy workplace goes beyond that. Mental health, fitness, and respect are just as crucial. Only 23% of Canadians feel comfortable discussing mental illness with their employer, and in construction, the "strong silent" culture often keeps workers from speaking up.

Connie Glick from MD Steele explains how Merit Manitoba’s Workplace Wellness Program is here to change that. Designed to foster open dialogue and support, the program encourages companies to appoint Wellness Champions who facilitate these important conversations.

Reach out to [email protected] to learn more and join today!

09/11/2024

📉 Canada’s Productivity Problem 📉

From 2019 to 2023, productivity contributed 0% to GDP growth in 🇨🇦 Canada’s construction sector. The only way we’ve managed any growth at all is by working longer hours. We need a better solution. Learn more about what’s holding our industry back in the latest Merit Canada InSites report.



🔗 https://merit-canada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/InSite-Fall-2024-Web.pdf