Manitoba Jobs Agreement Raising Serious Concerns for Contractors, Says CFIB

CFIB issues open letter calling on all parties to work together on practical amendments to improve fairness, competition, and project affordability.

Winnipeg, May 13, 2026 - The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has issued an open letter to Manitoba legislators calling for collaborative amendments to the Manitoba Jobs Agreement (MJA) to address growing concerns from the province’s construction industry.

The letter urges government and opposition parties alike to work together with industry stakeholders to improve the current MJA approach while maintaining workforce development and infrastructure goals.

“Small business contractors across Manitoba are increasingly concerned about rising project costs, administrative burden, reduced competition, and barriers to participation created by the Manitoba Jobs Agreement,” said Brianna Solberg, CFIB Director for the Prairies and Northern Canada. “We believe there is an opportunity to make practical amendments that better balance workforce objectives with fairness, competitiveness, and taxpayer value.”

In the letter, CFIB outlines growing concerns from Manitoba’s construction industry regarding the impact of the MJA on project costs, contractor participation, administrative burden, and procurement fairness — particularly in rural Manitoba, where many employers operate outside traditional union hiring models.

CFIB also points to recent discussions in British Columbia surrounding Bill M 233, the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act, which sparked debate around ensuring public infrastructure projects are awarded through fair and open competition. The legislation reflected broader concerns being raised across Canada about balancing workforce development objectives with taxpayer value, contractor participation, and procurement fairness.

CFIB is calling on legislators to consider amendments that would:

• Protect fair and open procurement practices;
• Ensure all qualified Manitoba contractors can compete on an equal basis;
• Reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and project cost escalation;
• Increase transparency around the impacts of the MJA on costs, timelines, and bidding participation; and
• Support workforce development objectives without discouraging competition or participation in public projects.

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Brianna Solberg, CFIB
306-713-8071
Brianna.Solberg@cfib.ca

About CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.