“Saskatchewan workers are the best. That was clear when I was growing up on the farm and I continue to see it every day,” said Beck. “It’s about time we bet big on our own workers and put them first.”
“This bill is about making sure Saskatchewan workers are building Saskatchewan projects,” added Sally Housser, Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources. “When public dollars are invested in large projects, people here at home should be the ones seeing the benefits.”
If the bill is passed, successful bidders for public projects would be required to prioritize hiring Saskatchewan residents, building trades affiliated workers, apprentices, and Indigenous people, and to publicly report on their progress throughout construction.
The legislation would also require bidders on major public works projects to set clear targets for hours worked by these groups, with those targets considered part of the bidding process.
The bill would apply to public projects valued at $50 million or more.
“Too often, people see out-of-province licence plates lining job sites while Saskatchewan workers are left out,” said Nathaniel Teed, Shadow Minister for Labour. “Groups like the Saskatchewan Building Trades have raised serious concerns about major projects not hiring local workers.”
Jeff Sweet, Executive Director of Sask Building Trades, endorsed the bill as it was introduced Wednesday.
“We’ve waited a long time for legislated protection for Saskatchewan workers,” Sweet said. “This is critical, especially as the government turns to the development of major, gamechanging infrastructure for Canada.
“We know Saskatchewan has a critical role to play in building our country and our workers here should be at the centre of that conversation. We need to be developing our home grown workforce for the future.”
Housser noted the legislation builds on models used in other jurisdictions.
“Other provinces have already taken steps to ensure local workers benefit from major projects,” Housser said. “It’s time Saskatchewan did the same.
“At its core, this bill is simple: when public money is spent, it should create jobs and opportunities here at home.”