OGCA Lobby Day
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On Wednesday, May 8, OGCA held a very successful Lobby Day. Lobby Day: when an association or organization meets politicians or public servants at various levels to advocate and explain support for legislation relevant to the association / organization.
Our Lobby Day gave OGCA an opportunity to introduce itself to members of Ontario’s 42nd Parliament. Our aim was to highlight some of the major issues facing the Ontario construction industry.
Our Province needs to recruit, train, and retain over 100,000 skilled workers by 2027 in order to keep pace with Ontario’s critical infrastructure demands. We asked elected officials to promote careers in the skilled trades as noble, fulfilling, and financially rewarding. We explained that without the leadership of government, Ontario will fall short on its infrastructure needs while neglecting to fill many of these good paying jobs.
The OGCA met with 28 MPPs throughout the day to discuss the skills gap in the province. Ontario’s elected officials want to work with the OGCA to overcome this challenge. If you have thoughts on how we can take on this challenge, please reach out to Steven Crombie at the OGCA.
After our meetings, we hosted MPPs for an evening reception. This reception was a great opportunity to engage with MPPs we hadn’t met with throughout the day. Thank you again to GEN-PRO, Aon, Northfleet Concrete Floors and Procore for sponsoring our event. Without strong partnerships, lobby days would not be possible.
Thank you to Premier Doug Ford, and MPP Jill Dunlop for the taking the time out of their busy schedules to join us for a group photo following question period.
Lastly, the OGCA would like to thank Mike Holmes and Mike Holmes Jr. for speaking at our lobby day reception. Mike Holmes is a passionate advocate for the trades and works tirelessly to break down stigmas surrounding the skilled trades. Mike spoke on his own experience and fulfilment throughout his career while encouraging and challenging reception attendees to thank tradespeople for the critical work they do.
