Today, a coalition of stakeholders from the construction industry and the broader business community filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court asking that the NDP government’s discriminatory building trades union-only hiring procurement policy for taxpayer-funded construction projects be struck down. The legal basis of the challenge is straightforward – the NDP government is exercising its authority for an illegal purpose and, as a result, the constitutional rights of eighty-five percent of the B.C.’s construction workers are being violated.

This is important, not only because of the issues raised in this case, but also, because taking a stand now may help to prevent further roll out of the policy to smaller infrastructure projects, such as schools and hospitals, and draws a line-in-the-sand in the fight against the NDP Government’s anti-business, anti-investment agenda that includes radical changes to the Labour Code, WorkSafe BC, Employment Standards, the major infrastructure project review process, and the tax framework on investment, to name just a few.

The Coalition is made up of the following organizations: the British Columbia Construction Association; the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association; the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada; the Vancouver Regional Construction Association; the Canada West Construction Union; CLAC; the B.C. Chamber of Commerce; and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

A number of construction contractors have also joined the Coalition: Eagle West Crane & Rigging Inc.; Jacob Bros. Construction; LMS Reinforcing Steel Group; Morgan Construction and Environmental; and Tybo Contracting.