Why ICBA is involved

Why is ICBA involved in this election campaign? 

During the 1990s, the trade-union-backed NDP government passed a number of laws that directly attacked independent, family-owned construction businesses.

 

The three main pieces of legislation were:

 

1. The HCL Agreement: The NDP government set up a provincial Crown Corporation (Highway Constructors Ltd.) as the exclusive trade union employer for all workers on taxpayer-funded construction projects like the Island Highway and Highway 1 HOV lanes. Instead of their own longtime employees, independent contractors were forced to hire strangers out of union hiring halls. Effectively, the NDP government was using legislation to unionize the construction industry and shut down independent contractors.

 

2. Pension Suspension Legislation: Promoted by the trade unions, this legislation allowed unions to suspend pension payments to members who worked for independent contractors. This legislation was created to cut off labour supply to independent contractors, but ended up enraging trade union pensioners who wanted to supplement their pension incomes.  

 

3. "Fair" Wage Policy: The NDP used this legislation to require inflated wages and force outdated union work rules on independent contractors when they worked on taxpayer-funded construction projects. This legislation drove up prices and drove out competition on public construction projects.

 

Given that the same union officials are still calling the shots for Carole James' NDP today, ICBA was forced to get involved in the election campaign as a matter of survival. Previous NDP policies badly hurt the economy, independent, family-owned construction businesses and their employees.