OTTAWA — Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) has announced the release of its Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (IRAP), a national, structured framework that’s designed to advance Indigenous participation, leadership and economic opportunity across the unionized construction sector.
According to a release, the plan was led by the CBTU’s director of workforce development Lindsay Amundsen in partnership with Mokwateh, an Indigenous-owned consultancy.
It establishes a co-ordinated, sector-wide approach to reconciliation, providing tools, commitments and measurable pathways for CBTU affiliates and provincial councils to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities and expand access to careers in the skilled trades.
“We stand at a defining moment for Canada’s skilled trades,” said Sean Strickland, executive director of the CBTU, in a statement. “With unprecedented investment in infrastructure, we have a responsibility to ensure Indigenous engagement and partnership are embedded across every jobsite and community. Canada’s Building Trades Unions’ Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan is that unified national voice.”
There are four pillars to the plan: workforce participation, learning and engagement, economic reconciliation and representation.
The pillars outline 41 commitments for the CBTU to complete by 2029, from developing culturally relevant pre-employment programs and Indigenous procurement policies to establishing an Indigenous Advisory Committee and embedding reconciliation into CBTU governance structures, the release adds.
“This plan is a formal commitment born from listening, learning and working alongside Indigenous communities and our members across the country,” added Robert Kucheran, chairman of the CBTU Canadian Executive Board.
The IRAP builds on the CBTU’s 2017 adoption of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #92, reaffirming commitments to meaningful consultation, equitable access to jobs and training, and education on Indigenous history, rights, and cultures.
The Daily Commercial News will have more on this story in an upcoming article.
