MBT Updates

Federal Budget 2025

The federal government released Budget 2025 this week, and there is a lot in it that directly affects our members, our training system, and the future of construction work in Manitoba. Much of what was announced reflects priorities we have been advancing for some time — both here at home and through our national partnership with Canada’s Building Trades Unions.

The message coming through clearly this year is one we’ve been reinforcing for a long time: unionized skilled tradespeople are central to building and maintaining Canada’s economy. This budget recognizes the importance of good jobs, apprenticeship pathways, safety, and local labour benefits — values our members live every day.

Below are the key commitments I want to highlight for our members.

Long-Term Infrastructure Investment with Labour Standards

The new Build Communities Strong Fund — $51 billion over ten years, plus an ongoing annual $3 billion — will flow through provinces, territories, and municipalities to support local and regional infrastructure.

What stands out is this: federal project selection will now consider the use of unionized labour and Community Employment Benefits agreements.

This directly aligns with what we are building through the Manitoba Jobs Agreement and the 1:1 apprenticeship ratio. We have been demonstrating, in real time, that when government invests in quality training and labour standards, we see increased apprenticeship completion, safer sites, and more Manitobans accessing long-term skilled careers.

This federal shift reinforces the work we have been leading here.

Strengthening Union-Led Training and Workforce Development

Budget 2025 includes:

  • $75 million over three years to expand the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP)
  • $382.9 million over five years to establish Workforce Alliances, bringing unions, employers, and industry together to meet workforce demand

This is good news for Manitoba.

We know our training centres are already scaling to meet the needs of upcoming major builds — including schools, healthcare facilities, transmission upgrades, and industrial retrofits. These federal investments will help us continue to train more apprentices, improve access for underrepresented groups, and prepare our workforce for future demand.

Building Clean Energy and Northern Trade Corridors

The budget continues to advance the Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits, expanding eligibility for nuclear, biomass, clean hydrogen, and new industrial processes.

This matters in Manitoba because:

  • We are already climate leaders through hydroelectric power.
  • We have opportunities in hydrogen production, industrial retrofits, and energy infrastructure.
  • Major corridor projects are back on the table — including the Port of Churchill Plus initiative.

We have been very clear: If these are truly nation-building projects, they must include Project Labour Agreements, apprenticeship targets, and early labour planning. We will continue to push for this at every table.

Shifting Immigration Toward Stability and Permanence

The federal government plans to stabilize permanent immigration levels while reducing reliance on temporary foreign labour programs.

This approach supports:

  • Workforce stability
  • Apprenticeship completion
  • Community-based livelihoods

When workers come to Manitoba, build their careers here, raise families here, and retire here — everyone benefits.

Protecting Workers by Cracking Down on Misclassification

Budget 2025 funds expanded enforcement to stop employers from misclassifying workers as independent contractors — a practice that undercuts union contractors and erodes wages, benefits, pensions, and safety.

This is a significant win for fairness and accountability in construction.

Where Manitoba Building Trades Will Keep Pushing

While this budget reflects strong progress, our advocacy continues. Our priorities remain:

  • Project Labour Agreements on nation-building projects
  • Dedicated funding for training centre infrastructure, not just programming
  • Reinstating federal apprenticeship grants
  • Indexing and expanding the Labour Mobility Tax Deduction
  • Full deployment of Community Employment Benefit requirements on federal and joint builds

These measures are essential to ensuring that we can train enough workers, maintain quality training standards, and support the next generation entering the trades.

A Step Forward — And We Keep Building

This budget reinforces what we know to be true: when governments invest in union labour, apprenticeship training, and community benefits, the results are stronger communities and a stronger workforce.

Manitoba Building Trades will continue to lead — through the Manitoba Jobs Agreement, the 1:1 apprenticeship ratio, and our work to open doors to long-term skilled careers in the trades.

We are building a training system and labour model that works — for workers, contractors, and communities.

And we’re just getting started.

In solidarity,


Tanya Palson
Executive Director, Manitoba Building Trades