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Feb 24 - March 3, 2002 |
Canada in need of construction help
Local 183's Tony Dionisio argues new immigration bill will limit skilled workers
By Angelo Persichilli
Originally Published: 2002-02-03
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Finance minister Paul Martin (left) and Tony Dionisio
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A dangerous shortage in construction workers is putting that industry, and as a consequence a large part of the Canadian economy, at risk. This warning is included in a letter sent to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien by Tony Dionisio, Business Manager of Local 183, about a proposal to avert this "foreseeable disaster."
"Some years ago, we had to face not a few problems," Dionisio told us, "and problems of the same kind will arise in the future, when the economy will be fully recovered."
Dionisio, in fact, underscores that a shortage of skilled workers has been looming for years, because "immigration policies did not take notice of the demographic and economic changes that Canada was undergoing," but also because "those in charge of these policies did not grasp the seriousness of the situation." Dionisio was particularly critical of Federal bureaucracy: "I spoke to many politicians, MPs, and even with former Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan. All of them declare their willingness to co-operate. The problem is that when our proposals are handed to the bureaucrats they grind to a halt".
In his letter to PM Chrétien, the union leader explains that Local 183 has been striving to enhance recruitment among Canadian youth, but that the construction sector seems to have little appeal for the younger generations. Local 183 is creating a training centre in western Ontario, near Coburg. The centre will cost eight million, "but in order to solve the problem we need to recur to immigration," said Dionisio.
His proposal is to create a permanent consulting committee made up of representatives of the workers, the companies, and the Government, which should monitor the situation and formulate proposals for preventing a lack of skilled labour. The same proposal was made some years ago to Elinor Caplan, who got the Ministry of Human Resources involved. "As soon as these two ministries got involved," claimed Dionisio, "any trace of activity ceased. We received no reply, and kept being told that 'the situation is being studied.' There is little to study, we should be acting now," concluded Dionisio.
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