Media Advisory - Construction Trades Talk Winning in Today's Economy

OTTAWA, May 7 /CNW Telbec/ - Canada's Building Trades Unions are hosting their annual Conference May 10-13th, 2010 in Ottawa, ON. More than 350 leaders from the construction industry from across Canada and the United States will be in attendance. This year is a policy conference wherein delegates will be formulating policy, listening to and working with representatives from the Government of Canada, important construction stakeholders and various provincial governments.

    
    The following speakers will address the conference on Monday, May 10th:

        -  General Rick Hillier (Ret.) 5:30 pm/International Ballroom

    The following speakers will address the conference on Tuesday, May 11th
between 9am and noon:

        -  Mark Ayers, President, Building and Construction Trades
           Department, AFL-CIO
        -  Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, Minister
           of the Atlantic Gateway and Minister of Atlantic Canada
           Opportunities Agency, Government of Canada
        -  Mark Sherman, General Refinery Manager, Irving Oil
        -  Valerie Keyes, Executive Director, Canadian Forces Liaison
           Council (CFLC)

    Tuesday May 11th between 2pm and 4:30pm:

        -  Gerard Kennedy, M.P. Parkdale - High Park, Critic,
           Infrastructure, Cities and Communities, Liberal Party of Canada
        -  The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, Government of
           Canada

    Wednesday May 12th features:

        -  Vice Admiral Rouleau - J.A.D, CMM, MSM, CD, Vice Chief of the
           Defence Staff, National Defence and the Canadian Forces
        -  Ron Genereux, Vice-President Major Construction Projects, Suncor
           Energy Services Inc.
        -  Pat Martin, Member of Parliament, Winnipeg Centre, New Democratic
           Party
        -  George Gritziotis, Executive Director, Construction Sector Council
        -  Hon. Donald Arseneault, Minister of Post Secondary Education,
           Training and Labour, Government of New Brunswick
        -  Honourable Michael Ignatieff, Member of Parliament, Etobicoke-
           Lakeshore, Leader of the Official Opposition
    

Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel (International Ballroom), 101 Lyon St, Ottawa, Ontario.

For a full program and legislative briefing kit visit our website at www.buildingtrades.ca.

About BCTD

In Canada, the BCTD represents 400,000 skilled trades workers. The North America-wide Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labour-Congress of Industrial Organizations) coordinates activities and provides resources to 15 affiliated trade unions in the construction and manufacturing industries. It has 386 state, provincial and local councils in Canada and the United States.

For further information: Christopher Smillie, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Office, [phone] ex. 25, Cell: [phone]