Tania Johnston

Introduce time-limited accelerated depreciation regime for businesses in construction-critical sectors investing in productivity-enhancing equipment and technologies; temporarily suspend the accompanying half-year rule. Expand the Tradesperson’s Tool Deduction to explicitly include properly fitting PPE required by your employer as an eligible expense. Increase the maximum deduction to $1500 and index the benefit to inflation. Expand the Workforce Alliance on Housing and Construction to serve as both a workforce development forum and an operational coordination mechanism - aligning labour supply with project timelines, geographic demand and infrastructure priorities. Align prompt payment legislation with provincial best practices by requiring annual release of holdback on long-term contracts (over one year). Improve interprovincial mobility by establishing: A national safety certification verification database A harmonization and mutual recognition framework Federal procurement guidance to encourage acceptance of equivalent certifications and verified safety data across projects Unlocking Immediate Productivity Gains 1. Introduce a targeted, time-limited exemption on overtime earnings for certified skilled tradespeople in construction-critical sectors. 2. Introduce time-limited accelerated depreciation regime for businesses in construction-critical sectors investing in productivity-enhancing equipment and technologies; temporarily suspend the accompanying half-year rule. need for the federal government to implement programs that would offset the additional costs incurred for the purchase of women-specific PPE. Much like the federal tradesperson's tools expenses deduction, a similar program specifically aimed at women in the skilled trades would help improve occupational health and safety, while at the same time removing a barrier to entry for those seeking careers in the trades. That the Federal Govt increase the amount of funding committed in Budget 2024 to promote the skilled trades for housing construction and focus the additional funds on promotion of the "Infrastructure Criterial Trades" That the federal government establishes a construction secretariat that will coordinate activities and strive for alignment across departments whose work affects the skilled trades and building, and with the industries on-the-ground Prompt Payment Legislation: Lobbying for a federal Prompt Payment Act that would apply to federal government contracts for the construction of federal buildings and projects.