Canada's Building Trades Union

Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) is Canada’s national federation representing skilled trades workers. It coordinates 12 international building trade unions across the country and advocates for fair labor standards, apprenticeship training, and worker health and safety.

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Canada’s Building Trades Unions

Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Location	Canada
Membership	Over 500,000 skilled trades workers
Key people	Sean Strickland (Executive Director)
Website	buildingtrades.ca

Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) is Canada’s national federation representing skilled trades workers. It coordinates 12 international building trade unions across the country and advocates for fair labor standards, apprenticeship training, and worker health and safety.

History

Founded in 1908, CBTU originated as part of North America’s broader labor movement. Over the decades, it has shifted from resolving jurisdictional conflicts to shaping national policies on infrastructure, labor rights, and training standards.

Affiliates

CBTU represents the Canadian branches of:

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Teamsters)
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC)
• International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC)
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
• Labourers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
• Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association (OPCMIA)
• International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)
• United Association – Union of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Technicians (UA)
• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
• International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (Insulators)
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (Ironworkers)

The full list is confirmed on its official “About Us” site.

Provincial Councils

The CBTU coordinates the work of provincial and local building trade councils across Canada, including:

• British Columbia Building Trades — BC Provincial Building Trades Council
• Whitehorse & District Building Trades Council
• Building Trades of Alberta
• Saskatchewan Building Trades
• Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council
• Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
• Quebec Provincial Building Trades Council
• Trades NL: Building and Construction Trades of Newfoundland and Labrador
• New Brunswick Building Trades Council
• PEI Building and Construction Trades Council
• Mainland Nova Scotia Building Trades
• Cape Breton Building Trades Council

Programs & Initiatives

• Building It Green — A multi-year climate training program offered across union centers.
• Indigenous Awareness Training — Delivered online with SkillPlan.
• Other inclusivity initiatives include Women in Trades, Safe Workplaces, and Indigenous Engagement.

Political Engagement

CBTU actively shapes labor policy:

• Pressed for fair infrastructure wage standards in partnership with NRCan.
• Advocated revisions to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that could suppress wages.
• Urged that federal tax credits include fair wage and apprenticeship requirements.
• Supported Canada’s infrastructure jobs through statements on high-speed rail development.

Leadership

• **Sean Strickland**, Executive Director (2020–present).

See also

• North America’s Building Trades Unions

References

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