If the federal government wants to build a more competitive Canada, the place to start is with the industry that’s responsible for building and maintaining our country’s infrastructure. The current review of Canada’s Competition Act should aim to better protect the public interest, by taking a hard look at making construction across Canada far more competitive.

Unfortunately, construction competition is not alive and well in Canada. All too often, the bidding process for projects funded with public money is restricted to select groups such as certain unions. These agreements are done ostensibly as a means to support the under-represented or to ensure a lack of labour disruption. But they also cost Canadians hundreds of millions in overruns, delays and missed opportunities, when the winning bid is not the most competitive one. And it’s happening right across the country.

Recently, the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada, whose members build major infrastructure projects throughout Canada, filed a Competition Bureau complaint. It relates to an exclusive labour agreement between Ottawa Hospital and select unions.

In our view, this arrangement runs counter to the Competition Act by prohibiting thousands of Ottawa-area construction workers and contractors from bidding on and building the hospital’s new $2.8-billion civic campus. They’re shut out of a project that is funded by taxpayers, because they do not carry the right union card.

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