Private Members’ Motion 190 (M-190) sponsored by Peter Fonseca (Member of Parliament for Mississauga East – Cooksville) asked that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA or the committee) study labour shortages in the construction industry, placing particular emphasis on the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). For this study, M-190 asked that the committee consider aspects such as the following:

• the challenges associated with a lack of skilled workers in the construction industry;
• possible recommendations on how to increase construction skill development in the region; and
• an analysis of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot initiative as a model to address the skilled worker need in the GTHA.[1]

In response to M-190, on 29 January 2019, the committee agreed to undertake a study on labour shortages in the GTHA construction industry over the course of three meetings. According to the motion adopted in committee, one meeting would be dedicated to hearing from departmental officials from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as well as from the sponsor of M-190, while two additional meetings would be reserved for hearing from other witnesses on aspects related to M-190, including:

• labour shortages in the GTHA;
• labour shortages in the construction industry, including shortages of skilled workers;
• the challenges associated with the lack of labour for the construction industry, and associated industries, and their impact on Canadians;
• how to decrease any shortages of workers, including through the use of other models and initiatives like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, and other models worth exploring; and
• how government programs, including funding for training and skilled labour, and retraining for other employees, can support current and future employees, as well as their industries.[2]

At this time, the committee also agreed to report its findings and recommendations on the M-190 study to the House of Commons.[3]