Canada's Building Trades Unions Launches 41-Point Indigenous Workforce Plan
According to the Daily Commercial News, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) released its new Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (IRAP) on May 28, committing to 41 specific measures designed to increase Indigenous participation in the trades and build economic partnerships across the construction sector.
A Formalized Accountability Framework
The IRAP is built around four strategic pillars: participation, learning and engagement, economic reconciliation, and representation. On the workforce side, the plan targets expanded Indigenous entry into the trades through training pathways, partnerships, and targeted outreach. On the economic side, it focuses on increasing Indigenous participation in procurement and major project supply chains.
CBTU executive director Sean Strickland tied the plan directly to the current infrastructure build cycle. “With unprecedented investment in infrastructure, we have a responsibility to ensure Indigenous engagement and partnership are embedded across every jobsite and community,” he said in a release. “The IRAP is that unified national voice.”
Lindsay Amundsen, CBTU’s director of workforce development, spearheaded the initiative. She said success ultimately comes down to one thing: “We have more Indigenous people engaged in our organizations, and our union members, and building trades members, and thriving in their careers.”
The CBTU partnered with Mokwateh, an Indigenous-owned consultancy founded by JP Gladu, an Anishinaabe leader from Sand Point First Nation, to develop the plan. The effort traces back to 2017, when CBTU adopted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action number 92. Since then, the organization has developed an allyship booklet and an Indigenous awareness training course, which has been completed by approximately 1,800 participants. In 2024, CBTU began working with the First Nations Power Authority to support Indigenous workforce and project development initiatives.
What It Means for Subcontractors
For contractors and subcontractors working on resource and infrastructure projects in Western Canada, Indigenous workforce integration is increasingly a project requirement, not an afterthought.
- The IRAP’s economic reconciliation pillar specifically targets procurement and major project supply chains, meaning subcontractors on large projects may face new expectations around Indigenous hiring and supplier partnerships.
- CBTU’s Indigenous awareness training course, with 1,800 participants to date, signals that union-affiliated workers on your sites may already have this training. Non-union subcontractors should assess whether their own workforce development programs address similar standards.
- The plan includes “targeted timelines and engagement frameworks,” which means CBTU affiliates will be tracking measurable outcomes year over year. Subcontractors partnering with union trades on major projects should expect these metrics to show up in project agreements.
- Partnering with Indigenous-owned consultancies or suppliers, as CBTU did with Mokwateh, is increasingly part of how reconciliation commitments get demonstrated on the ground. Subcontractors pursuing work in resource-heavy regions like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC should be building those relationships now.
