Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Kiel Giddens

By Cheryl Jahn

Provincial politics

Giddens introduces controversial bill

Mar 6, 2026 | 3:05 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It took less than five minutes for the MLA for Prince George Mackenize to introduce a controversial bill – the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act.

“Publicly-funded construction projects must be procured through labour neutral processes,” explains Kiel Giddens, as he introduced First Reading of the bill. “Public sector entities would no longer be permitted to issue construction solicitations that require union only labor or require a contractor to enter into a specific collective agreement as a condition of bidding.”

The bill immediately rose the hackles of the United Steelworkers Union, who had met with the Conservatives moments earlier to express support for forestry workers.

“And then in the next breath, he introduced a private member’s bill for first reading that essentially stripped the rights of unionized workers and public projects, something that’s been enshrined in law for many, many years now. And something that’s worked really well,” says Jeff Bromley with the USW.

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It is something the Independent Contractors and and Businesses Association has been calling for since the Community Benefits Agreement was introduced nearly a decade ago and Mike Davis with the ICBA uses the analogy of a sales pitch.

“So imagine we’re sitting around a boardroom and we’re talking about ideas,” says Davis. “And I come to the group and I say, ‘Hey, I got this great idea. Here’s an initiative. But only 15 per cent of the eligible workers can participate. In addition to that, this initiative will cause 25 per cent in cost overruns on every project and $17.8 billion of total cost overruns. And let’s throw in also 158 combined years of delays. What do you think people are going to say to me? You’re going gonna say, ‘You’re crazy. Get out of here.'”

But Giddens defends the bill saying contracts like the Pattullo bridge are way over budget and way over schedule, at the expense of other projects, such as the Cariboo Connector.

“We’re getting fewer projects for more money,” he explains. “And that’s why you’ve seen the quiet cancellation of projects like the Cariboo Connector program, the twinning of the highway all the way from Cache Creek to Prince George. That’s not fair to people in the Cariboo. And we need to make sure we’re getting the best value for taxpayers while supporting all workers in the province, no matter who they work for.”

This is first reading of this bill and it is moving to second. But many feel it will not make the final cut.

“As an opposition MLA, part of my role is to bring ideas to the table, and actually bring constructive ideas to the table as well,” says Giddens. “We need to, bring these forward, whether it passes or not. I want to generate public policy discussion about our capital spending. I also want to generate discussion about the fact we’re shutting out 85 per cent of the construction workforce in the province. That’s not fair.”

“I don’t have to assume,” says Bromley. “I don’t think that the NDP government would not support the bill in this time, especially since they introduced legislation contrary to what this was years ago. So, at the end of the day, it’s not going to go anywhere. But it it sends a clear message to us after telling us one thing and then doing exactly the opposite.”

Giddens says the bill does nothing more than fight building trade unions, especially when they’re are so badly needed.