Policy statements

Scan our policy statements for quick direction on positions in support of an open, fair and transparent procurement process and a thriving industry.

Free Trade

Freedom of enterprise

CCA supports an economic and political system based on free competitive enterprise and individual freedom.

Free movement of construction materials, services and personnel within Canada

CCA supports the free and unfettered movement of construction materials, services and personnel within Canada and is opposed to all regional barriers and preference policies.

Labour force mobility

CCA advocates the right of qualified construction workers to seek employment in any region of Canada without any restrictions. Labour mobility should be supported, promoted and facilitated by such measures and programs as:

National apprenticeship and training standards for construction trades and occupations; 

The Red Seal Program designed to provide interprovincial recognition of apprentices and tradesperson qualifications; 

and/or, Federal tax incentives and employment insurance (EI) assistance, or similar measures.

Reciprocity

Reciprocity is paramount to the establishment and maintenance of a free-flowing international system of trade, both in terms of goods as well as services. CCA supports international free trade agreements, including provisions respecting government procurement. In this context, CCA supports the equal opportunity and access to government-procured or government-funded infrastructure development and/or construction opportunities for foreign firms operating in Canada, provided reciprocal access is granted to Canadian firms in the respective foreign country.

Infrastructure Investment

Long-term infrastructure plan is needed

CCA recommend the creation of a federal independent advisory body that can align governments at the provincial and municipal level to address infrastructure deficits across Canada. The stability of having multi-year project pipelines, based on evidence and independent expert advice, would also enable the development of the necessary skilled workforce and encourage private sector investment.

Core infrastructure

CCA supports and promotes long-term, sustainable, transparent and predictable federal investment in Canada’s core infrastructure.

CCA defines core infrastructure as being assets required to create new, or enhance existing, national economic, commercial or transportation activity, including: roads, highways, streets, energy, pipeline, sidewalks, lanes, bridges and structures; water distribution systems and treatment plants; waste water and sewage collection and treatment; power, garbage, and refuse facilities; airports; educational facilities; power and fiber optic networks and distribution systems; and urban transit systems.

National trade and transportation system

CCA supports and promotes the creation of a long-term, sustainable, transparent, predictable, and permanent federal program designed to provide efficient and effective investment in Canada’s national trade and transportation infrastructure. This program must be based on the nation’s strategic needs and safely meet the infrastructure system demands to connect supply chains and efficiently move goods and services across borders.

Industry Practices: Fair and competitive procurement 

Procurement, Bidding and Contract Award Practices

CCA supports procurement of construction projects in an open and transparent manner and advocates for the bidding and contract award practices and procedures as outlined in CCDC 23 – A Guide to Calling Bids and Awarding Construction Contracts.  

Regional federal openings

CCA maintains that bids for publicly funded projects should be opened publicly after submission.  

Minority preferences and set-aside programs

CCA opposes any procurement practice or program that seeks to confer exclusive bidding rights to firms based upon any of the following characteristics: sex, race, religion, or geographic domicile within Canada of the principal owners of a firm, its employees or labour force.

Contracting out/public sector competition

CCA promotes the use by government of the private sector for construction and engineering services, as this practice serves to develop more private sector capability.

CCA opposes government-owned or controlled entities competing for construction contracts.

CCA opposes the government’s practice of supporting crown corporations that compete with the private sector.

Reverse auctions

CCA endorses the use of electronic procurement provided that it maintains the principles that are intrinsic to the construction bidding process and that it is intended to increase efficiency.

CCA opposes the use of reverse auctions.

Firm price quotation

Where the Owner requests fixed price bids, the CCA supports an escalation adjustment clause being available as an option. Any escalation clause should come with a de-escalation countermeasure.

Conditional payment clauses

CCA is opposed to payment provisions in construction contracts that make the prior receipt by one party of a payment, or advance from a third party, a condition precedent to any payment obligation to the other contracting party.

CCA supports the introduction and enforcement of the Federal Prompt Payment for Construction Act and the application of all provincial prompt payment legislations already in force in jurisdictions where it offers more guarantees and protections than the Federal Prompt Payment Act.

Deficiency holdbacks

CCA is opposed to the retention of funds to cover unidentified deficiencies or warranty items.

Extended warranties

CCA is opposed to the requirement by owners for extended warranties beyond what is reasonably and customarily available and provided in the market.

CCA and CCDC standard documents

CCA advocates the use of standard documents, developed and endorsed by the Association, as an effective means of promoting standard practices and procedures within the industry.

CCA opposes the implementation of supplementary general conditions which have the effect of altering or subverting the intent or the substance of standard documents.

Use of bid depositories

CCA supports the use of the bid depository system in those areas where bid repositories are in regular operation and are operating under rules and regulations endorsed by local professional and construction associations for those trades served by them.

National Building Code

CCA supports the general adoption of the National Building Code of Canada.

Restrictive bidding practices by public owners

CCA opposes the practice by public owners of excluding construction contracting firms and suppliers from bidding their projects, or otherwise penalizing them, solely because of past or current litigation or other contested disputes with that public owner, or other public owners.

Payment

CCA advocates contractual payment and related terms that are fair, reflecting the industry consensus expressed in CCDC and CCA standard documents. Further, CCA advocates that project owners, prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, payment certifiers and other stakeholders in the payment chain comply with all statutory/legal requirements and honour commitments and contractual obligations.  Contracting parties, both payers and payees, should be responsible for understanding all agreed contractual terms affecting obligations to make and entitlement to receive payment. 

Community benefits 

CCA is opposed to using the procurement of construction services to advance unrelated community benefits and other public policy objectives where they jeopardize the integrity of the competitive bid system.

Quality assurance and control program

CCA supports the use of quality assurance and control programs to ensure quality (excellence) in construction projects.

Research

CCA advocates the need for data-driven research and decision making in construction and supports respected universities, associations and other organizations engaged in such activities for the purpose of improving construction practices, efficiencies and excellence.

Appropriate Delivery Model

Given the complexity of projects – size, geography, technical, etc. – the CCA supports early contractor involvement in procurement and that buyers of construction consider the best model for the project, including not relying solely on low cost bid.  

Risk Sharing

CCA promotes the integration of procurement methods that enables a more equitable risk-sharing distribution among contractual parties involved in a project. This includes the use of alternative delivery methods, clearly defining the risks assumed by each party and fairly distributing risk between parties.

Data collaboration

To advance the identification and solutions to industry problems, CCA advocates for improved structure and collaboration amongst stakeholders.  With a common and shared framework leveraging multi-stakeholder data, valued insight can be extracted to improve decision-making.  Such a framework must ensure protection of confidential / proprietary information by aggregating appropriate information in a way that benefits the industry without breaching confidentiality.

Workforce: Working with industry to build the workforce of the future

Under-represented groups in construction

CCA advocates the entry of under-represented groups in all occupations within the construction industry and urges construction employers to remove all barriers to their employment.

CCA opposes all forms of compulsory programs of employment equity, including any system of quotas.

Immigration to Canada

CCA supports a proactive and effective immigration policy designed to help build a domestic labour supply for the industry’s current and future needs.

Labour relations 

CCA supports the right of every contractor to operate in the construction marketplace. CCA supports the maintenance of a healthy labour/management relationship, which will aid the Canadian economy and provide maximum productivity.

Education and training

CCA supports and promotes all proven industry educational and training programs for construction trades (e.g. apprenticeship) and management occupations (e.g. Gold Seal), and urges the widest possible acceptance of national standards and certification. CCA advocates the highest standards in all technical, professional, supervisory and management training. CCA urges the youth in Canada to consider career employment in the construction industry.

Red Seal Program

The CCA endorses the Red Seal Program and recommends its use as the national standard of certification in construction trades to ensure that the highest quality training standards are upheld.

Safety

CCA supports the establishment of programs to promote excellence in construction safety.

Security Clearance Passport

CCA supports the creation of a government-wide Security Clearance Passport to help centralize the security screening process and streamline the clearance procedure of contractors working on projects with the federal government. 

Environmental, Social and Governance

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CCA is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all our employees, volunteers, Member and partners.  We believe this ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), is essential to the long-term success of our association and will inspire the industry to make similar commitments, benefiting all Canadians.

Corporate social responsibility

CCA recognizes that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a rapidly evolving issue and affects companies differently depending on their size, location and specialization. CCA recognizes the importance of CSR; and encourages companies to voluntarily undertake initiatives that enable them to operate in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

Indigenous Peoples and Reconciliation

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) call to action #92, directed at Canada’s corporate sector and its leadership “to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.” More specifically, CCA:

• Encourages our members and association partners to establish respectful relationships and educate their staff on the history of Indigenous peoples and provide skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights and anti-racism. Recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of the land. CCA’s office is located on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. We honour and acknowledge their long history on their traditional homeland.
• Promotes equitable access to jobs, training and education opportunities, and maintains that Aboriginal communities gain long-term, sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
• CCA is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the Canadian construction industry. Our initiatives, recruitment, and communications reflect the desire to include more Canadians from underrepresented groups, including Indigenous peoples, in Building a Better Canada.
• Facilitates training for managers, staff and CCA’s volunteers on the history of Indigenous peoples and provides skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

Sustainable Development

CCA supports the concept of sustainable development, recognizing the need to balance environmental and economic considerations in the decision-making process.

CCA supports the development and use of a fair, equitable and expedient Canadian environmental assessment and review process.

Green buildings and green building efficiencies

CCA supports green buildings and green building efficiencies and recommends that these objectives be sought and verified by parties directly involved in the project through the normal building design commissioning and certification processes.

Green Material Certification 

CCA supports the use of cleaner, innovative and more sustainable materials in the construction process. CCA promotes the development of an evergreen list of green materials and products certified by the federal government to incent the use and standardization of green materials across Canada and improve the industry’s accessibility to green materials.

Green Standards in Canada’s Building Code

CCA supports the introduction and addition of green standards that promote sustainable construction in the National Building Code of Canada. CCA recommends expanding the code to consider life-cycle emissions and the harmonization of regulations across jurisdictions to align practices and enable change in the industry to help achieve the net-zero goals and create resilient lasting infrastructure in the face of climate change.

CCA commitment to the environment 

Working to ease the environmental challenges presented by climate change is important to the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). We have pledged to reduce our carbon footprint within our head office operations.  Further, we are staunch advocates for policies and investment that will support the industry on its path to long term sustainability.   

We recognize that business travel is a contributor to greenhouse gases, and encourage our members to voluntarily off-set these costs through available programs, like Air Canada’s Choose program. 

Scope 1 

• Reduction in our building energy consumption  
• Reduction in our waste  

Scope 2 

• Reduction in our transportation energy costs

Advocating for best practices in green building:  

• CCA recognizes outstanding leadership in the industry and among our members through our annual Environmental Achievement Award. 
• CCA advocates for innovation funding in federal infrastructure projects to advance building sustainably. 
• CCA is working to advance changes in public & private procurement that support innovation and encourage sustainable practices, including incentives to help firms transition to low carbon. 
  • Industry advocacy on the importance of Environmental Product Declarations to quantify emissions associated with the extraction, manufacture, and transportation of building materials. 
    • Support the standardization of transparency documentation for products and materials to identify more sustainable options
• CCA is calling for an update to building codes, standards to allow for the use of low carbon materials and ensure buildings are designed in line with a low carbon future.  
• CCA supports, facilitates and/or delivers training that educates its members on new processes and technologies, better environmental practices, climate risk management, and using sustainable materials. 
• CCA is calling on energy producers to make it easier for clients to access their data to facilitate GHG calculations and reporting.