Friday, March 13, 2026
The U.S. tariffs and ongoing negotiations the CUSMA agreement have created uncertainty for Canada’s construction industry, particularly around material costs , and especially for steel products.
“We’ve been working with the federal government to help protect the Canadian steel industry,” said Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, during a panel discussion at the 2026 Canadian Construction Association (CCA) conference in San Diego.
“[We] share the U.S.’s concerns regarding the flood of cheap and subsidized steel in the North American market,” he added.
Canam president Serge Dussault, said that while only 10 to 15 per cent of his company’s product goes to the U.S., but “leads to 99 per cent of the complications we have.
“We’ve been on a rollercoaster since last year and we’ve had to adjust very quickly to support the Canadian industry.”
That we are no longer in a “special relationship” with our best trading partners, is a reality everyone needs to confront, said Rini Rashid, counsel, McMillan LLP. “We are now a target.”
Since the U.S. launched its tariffs attach on Canada and the rest of the world, “we have been playing defence,” added Rashid, “and that will be painful in the short-term.”
No one is sure where CUSMA is headed, but Rashid wonders if “the rules under a new CUSMA will become more complex and thus more expensive for Canadian companies.”
(L to R) Kenny Leon, VP, member services and technology, CCA (moderator); Alexandre Champoux, CEO Civalgo; and Ezequiel Machabanski, VP, insights and analytics, EllisDon. (ReNew Canada)
An later panel on Day 2 at the CCA conference tackled the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the construction industry.
“Beyond the hype” was the title of the discussion and both panelists agreed AI in construction is real.
“It’s no longer hype, it’s here,” said Alexandre Champoux, CEO Civalgo. “Many companies don’t know where to start. We need to demystify it.”
AI uses data to make predictions that will help improve businesses, not just make them faster, Champoux added.
“AI is shifting construction from being less reactive and more proactive,” said Ezequiel Machabanski, VP, insights and analytics, EllisDon. “It’s a tool, another technology we can capitalize on,” adding that preconstruction is the most import area for the industry to apply AI to.
For Champoux, the real risk is not moving forward and to do that requires company leadership.
Featured image: Supply under pressure panel discussion at the 2026 Canadian Construction Association conference. (L to R) Louis-Phillipe Champange, CCA (moderator); Keanin Loomis, president and CEO, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction; Rini Rashid, counsel, McMillan LLP; and Serge Dussault, president, Canam. (ReNew Canada)
