Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Canada stands at an unprecedented economic and industrial crossroads. Across the country, federal and provincial governments are aligning behind an ambitious mandate to “build, baby, build”—committing hundreds of billions of dollars toward critical infrastructure, healthcare facilities, national defense expansions, clean energy installations, and next-generation data centres. Yet, behind this historic surge in planned capital expenditure lies a looming threat that could stall Canada’s economic growth: a severe, worsening shortage of skilled labour.
To confront this challenge head-on, PCL Construction—Canada’s largest employee-owned general contractor—has stepped forward with a $500,000 lead sponsorship of That Could Be Me, a national film-driven educational initiative. Developed in collaboration with Stature Films and Spitfire Recruiting Inc., the project aims to reach students across 12,500 Canadian high schools, reshaping how youth, parents, and educators view careers in the skilled trades.
In an exclusive interview with ReNew Canada, Chris Gower, President and Chief Executive Officer of PCL Construction, outlined why the company made this investment, the hidden economic forces compounding the labour crisis, and why a unified, national movement is urgently needed to secure Canada’s future workforce.
The Hidden Crisis
To the average observer, Canada’s skilled labour crisis might appear manageable on the surface. However, Gower cautions that the true extent of the shortage is currently being masked by macroeconomic conditions—specifically a lull in private sector investment.
Currently, roughly 80 per cent of construction activity in Canada is driven by publicly funded infrastructure, while private sector capital spending remains unusually quiet. This imbalance creates a temporary illusion of labour availability.
“Today, Canada’s labour shortage is being partially masked by current economic conditions,” Gower noted. “Private sector investment remains subdued, but when spending rebounds and demand increases, while hospital projects and other government infrastructure investments continue, the pressure on our workforce will intensify. Add the significant increase in Department of National Defence (DND) projects and the rapid growth of data centres, and it becomes clear that we are heading toward a serious labour shortage.”
Gower warned that when the bottleneck inevitably hits, it will not manifest as a sudden stoppage, but rather as severe economic friction that threatens the viability of major projects.
“It likely won’t feel as though we’ve run out of labour; it will feel as though we simply don’t have enough,” Gower explained. “That shortage will show up in rising costs, project delays, and difficult decisions about whether critical infrastructure projects can move forward. Many of the resulting challenges will be difficult to trace back to a single cause, but I can confidently say that labour availability will be one of the key factors driving those negative outcomes.”
This dynamic is not without precedent. Gower pointed to the Alberta oil and gas boom a decade ago, when extreme labour competition led to massive wage distortions and service shortages across the province. Without proactive intervention, Canada risks repeating history on a national scale just as major capital projects are scheduled to break ground.
Changing the narrative
At the heart of the skilled trades shortage is a cultural perception problem that has been building for more than two decades. For years, high school students have been guided along a narrow educational funnel that prioritizes university degrees over technical vocations.
“The fundamental idea that construction isn’t an attractive place to go to has been the underlying issue, arguably for the last 20 years,” Gower observed. “I remember when my kids went to university after high school… among their peers, the expectation was that university was the default path forward. That narrowing of career options and awareness of the opportunities available in the skilled trades has been taking place for a very long time.”
Part of the blame, Gower admitted, lies with the construction industry itself, which has historically failed to celebrate its success stories.
“As an industry, we haven’t done a good enough job of telling our story and highlighting the opportunities that construction offers. We’re often modest and focused on getting the job done, but we don’t always advocate for ourselves. Looking back on my own career, from working on the tools to pursuing further education and advancing through different roles, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s been a truly rewarding experience.”
Today, however, the economic backdrop for young Canadians is shifting dramatically. While youth unemployment in Canada hovers around 14 to 15 per cent, white-collar entry-level roles are facing unprecedented disruption from Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fields like entry-level finance, software coding, and basic analytics—once considered safe career tracks—are seeing shrinking recruitment pipelines.
In contrast, physical, hands-on skilled trades are insulated from immediate AI disruption and offer young people a direct path to financial stability without crushing student debt.
“The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is creating uncertainty for many people, including those pursuing careers that have traditionally relied on entry-level analytical roles. At the same time, our industry is facing several favourable trends. Construction offers a path for young people to earn a strong income, build a rewarding career and achieve important milestones such as homeownership and long-term financial stability.”
Authentic storytelling
To bridge the gap between high school students and the modern job site, PCL invested $500,000 to serve as the Lead Sponsor for That Could Be Me. The initiative was created by Toronto-based Stature Films in partnership with Spitfire Recruiting Inc.
Rather than relying on glossy corporate messaging or executive talking points, That Could Be Me uses a documentary-style format featuring real tradespeople speaking candidly about their careers, daily lives, and financial independence.
“PCL is demonstrating real leadership by putting resources behind a solution, not just talking about the problem,” said Andrew Sorlie, Co-Founder of Stature Films and co-creator of the project. “That Could Be Me is about changing perception, opening doors, and showing more Canadians that a future in the trades is a future worth choosing.”
The series showcases workers on landmark construction projects that directly impact Canadian communities, including the Shell Polaris infrastructure build, Air Products’ Net Zero Hydrogen facility, major healthcare complexes, and civic venues.
“Real job sites. Real tradespeople. Real career paths that keep our country running. We’re telling real human stories, and introducing real pathways to students,” explained Victor Pereira, Owner of Spitfire Recruiting Inc. “I have three kids of my own, two are girls. They need to see themselves on screen if they are going to take this idea seriously. This partnership helps advance a message the industry needs to hear: the skilled trades are essential, and if you want to be a part of building Canada, there is room for you here.”
For Gower, the power of the project lies in its raw authenticity.
“The workers on the job sites telling their story—they’re not on camera, but they’re going to be great because they’re just simply telling their story. I honestly think that’s going to resonate with somebody in Grade 10… when they hear how the work is so meaningful, how these people don’t have massive debt coming out of school, and how they can start generating a good life.”
A unified national strategy
While PCL’s investment represents a major commitment, Gower is clear that one campaign alone cannot solve a structural economic problem.
“It needs to be 10 solutions, not one,” Gower emphasized. “It needs to be a layered, thoughtful campaign as opposed to a point solution. While we’re talking about one specific point solution that PCL is participating in, it’s not the answer. It’s part of the answer—part of the movement.”
Gower has actively taken this message to political leaders across the country. In a recent meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and a group of construction CEOs, Gower pushed for greater coordination between industry and government. He has seen similar interest from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and leaders in Atlantic Canada.
However, uncoordinated regional efforts are insufficient. Gower points out that systemic policy hurdles continue to hamper workforce development. For instance, Canada’s immigration framework has historically failed to align newcomer recruitment with trade needs, with less than one per cent of immigrants entering the construction trades.
“For the last 20 years, the industry has been trying in isolation and has been uncoordinated. If you characterize it as a national economic issue, and government gets in front of it, and developers and industry align… all of a sudden you have hope where you can start changing policy and changing practices.”
Gower envisions a unified framework where successful provincial pilot programs and trade initiatives are nationalized across Canada, streamlining Red Seal certifications and interprovincial labour mobility.
“If we can nationalize five good ideas across all these provinces to collectively improve the creation of craft and trade by quantity and quality, we’d have a unified movement. My message to leaders is, ‘Tap us on the shoulders, put us to work. Let us help solve the problem because we’re vested in it.’ ”
John Tenpenny is the Editor of ReNew Canada.
[This article appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of ReNew Canada.]
Featured image: (Getty Images)
