A rally-like celebration of the prospect of jobs tied to the Churchill Falls and Gull Island hydroelectric projects in St. John’s on Tuesday ended with a call from Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham to trades workers who have previously left the province for work.
“I, for one, am tired of our province exporting our skilled and talented trades workers to contribute to the economies of other parts of Canada,” Wakeham said.
“Get ready to come home. To stay home, and find new jobs, good jobs, union jobs with good pay and good benefits, right here.”
The prospect of local jobs has been a key point for Wakeham since announcing the new memorandum of understanding signed between Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec in August.
While final agreements have yet to be reached, the project is expected to create around 23,000 jobs between the two provinces — including thousands of construction and trades jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Gull Island hydroelectric project, tied to Churchill Falls development and expected to cost around $29 billion, is expected to create 5,000 jobs alone.
While Wakeham has historically wanted to take his time with the Churchill Falls deal, comments on Tuesday came with a renewed sense of urgency.
Speaking with reporters, he said that urgency comes from federal involvement in the financing of the project, and a desire from Prime Minister Mark Carney to see nation-building projects move forward.
Quebec is also heading to the polls in October, which could put an agreement between the two provinces in jeopardy.
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“All [of this] comes from a deal that was not on the table a year ago, and will not be on the table a year from now. Right now, we have a prime minster in Mark Carney who has both the will, the vision and public support to do big things,” Wakeham said.
“We need to get building right away. We need to get this deal done today, and we need to act now. And I am proud to say we’re ready to act.”
Wakeham has committed multiple times — including again on Tuesday — that 85 per cent of the hours worked during construction will be tied to jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador.
It was music to the ears of Trades N.L. executive director Bob Fiander, who believes the talent pool is in the province and in need of work.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Fiander said 69 per cent of a group of 1,800 surveyed trades workers said a lack of steady and consistent work is the largest barrier they face in the sector.
“We have a lot of people that we can draw down on while we’re getting ready from a training perspective,” Fiander told reporters Tuesday.
Some of those working in the trades have previously told CBC News that the labour pool exists in the province, but not to the scale needed for this kind of development.
But like Wakeham, Fiander said workers who previously left the province are ready to come home. He said he’s seen thousands leave the province because of a lack of opportunity.
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“[They’re looking] kind of everywhere else, except for Newfoundland and Labrador. So this deal, this project, is critically important,” he said.
“The result of the projects will mean tens of thousands of construction jobs, billions of dollars in labour income, and an ignited provincial economy that will bring with it opportunities for long term consistency of jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
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