Ruairi Spillane
Founder Outpost Recruitment
What Bill C-5 Says & How it Impacts Construction in Canada
It’s time to “build, baby, build!” in Canada according to Prime Minister, Mark Carney. Bill C-5, or the One Canadian Economy Act, aims to break down interprovincial barriers to trade and employment, but also to allow projects deemed by the government to be in the national interest to bypass certain regulations, in order to speed up construction. It also reduces reliance on U.S.-based trade, which has faced tariff uncertainties in 2025.
This is extremely welcome news for the construction sector as Canada has a tendency to get in it’s own way with red tape and we’ll now see less bureaucracy interrupting critical infrastructure needs like home building, transportation, energy and power projects. This is good news for Canadians and good news for global construction professionals who can help us build much needed projects.
Looking for a role in Canada's construction sector?
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Spotlight on LNG
LNG is a great example. A decade ago, LNG was proposed as a game changer for gas rich BC under a Conservative government. The problem was the idea came from a Liberal politician so political squabbling and red tape got in the way of progress. Fast forward to 2025 and BC only has Tilbury LNG, a smaller scale facility in production with LNG Canada very close. Beyond this, Woodfibre LNG is under construction but that’s it for our LNG industry after well over a decade of talk. The Ukraine war presented a golden opportunity for Canada to supply Europe with LNG but instead Norway’ Algeria & Qatar benefited from Russia’s LNG not being accepted.
Other examples, Canada doesn’t have the ability to refine it’s own oil. Canada won’t have an active high speed line for at least another decade. We have no solid commuter rail connections across a vast country that was founded by railroads. We are sitting on lots of rare minerals but have no ability to process these precious metals. We stifle trade with intra-provincial trade barriers yet have the cheek to criticize Trump’s trade tariffs as being counterintuitive to economic growth. Canada lacks courage the do bold things
Project Delays Prevalent in Canada
When it comes to value for money in building infrastructure, we can’t stop getting in our own way. For example, the $2.6bn Massey Bridge in BC would have been in service in 2022 but we’re now busy in a drawn out environmental process for a Massey Tunnel, that will now won’t be built for at least twice the cost and won’t allow frustrated commuters to cross the Fraser river until 2032. All due to political squabbling between provincial governments. Lets also not forget to look at Calgary’s Green Line LRT, lots of talk, very little action and it is the taxpayers who lose out when big ideas fail to execute in a timely manner
With C-5 the idea would be pretty simple: the new streamlined approval process paves the way for an infrastructure blitz over the next few years… more projects, more jobs… whether you’re looking to immigrate to Canada, looking for an improved position, it’s a great time to hit the market.
“The best time to plant a tree was yesterday, the second best time is today” – Chinese proverb
Canada is a huge country with lots of space. With the right infrastructure in place, the economy can grow. To build this infrastructure, we need to attract the people so Canada’s infrastructure sector is expected to continue it’s long term boom.
Which roles are most in demand?
Construction and engineering professionals with heavy civil project experience including highways & bridges, tunnels, transit, ports & marine, and power projects will be required to build their major projects. Beyond heavy civil, healthcare construction experience continues to be in huge demand across Canada. Canada will need a huge volume of skilled trades across all disciplines to get the work done.
Lots of talk as of yet, but once we get to action Canada will continue to offer fantastic long-term opportunities across infrastructure for both Canadians and global talent.
Contact Outpost Recruitment today for a confidential chat around infrastructure opportunities.
Looking for a role in Canada's construction sector?
We match construction and engineering professionals with Canada's leading construction and engineering firms.
Ruairi Spillane
Founder Outpost Recruitment
