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Canada Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis to 2030 (Q1 2026)

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    Report

  • 75 Pages
  • March 2026
  • Region: Canada
  • GlobalData
  • ID: 6116080
The construction industry in Canada is expected to expand by 2.6% in real terms in 2026, supported by increase in investments in residential and non-residential construction. The total investment in building construction grew by 4.9% year on year (YoY) in 2025, according to Statistics Canada. By segment, residential construction grew by 7.6% YoY and institutional construction grew by 5.7% YoY in 2025. However, the country’s construction industry is expected to face challenges in the short term, due to decline in building permits issued, coupled with the ongoing political tensions between Canada and the US, following President Donald Trump’s punitive tariff measures. According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits issued declined by 1.5% YoY in 2025. By segments, the total value of non-residential building permits fell by 2.1% YoY, and the value of residential building permits fell by 1.1% YoY in 2025. Previously, in October 2025, President Donald Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian goods, raising the total tariff on many Canadian imports to 35%. Recently in mid-February 2026, US Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) cannot be used to unilaterally impose tariffs. The court held that the power to tax belongs exclusively to Congress and that IEEPA's authority to regulate importation does not encompass the distinct power to impose taxes. In response, within hours, President Trump imposed a new 10% tariff on global imports. However, President Trump’s global tariffs didn’t affect the sectorial tariffs imposed on Canada. The tariffs on materials like steel, aluminum, lumber, and semi-finished copper products remain under effect. Among the most severe measures were duties on key construction materials - steel, aluminum, and lumber -disproportionately affecting the construction industry. According to Statistics Canada, the non-residential building construction price index across 15 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) rose by 4.1% and the residential building construction price index grew by 3.4% in 2025.

Over the remainder of the forecast period, the Canadian construction industry is expected to register an annual average rate of 2.8% from 2027 to 2030, supported by the government investments to increase renewable energy provisions, and increase investments for affordable housing projects. In January 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the government of Qatar committed to make significant investments in Canada's major construction projects. The partnership will support the construction of several energy and mining infrastructure projects. The government of Canada plans to finalize a long-stalled Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with the government of Qatar to support these large-scale capital projects. Prime Minister Mark Carney also launched the federal Build Canada Homes agency in mid-September 2025 with the aim to construct the housing projects. The plan includes the construction of 4,000 homes on six federally owned sites, with an investment worth CAD13 billion ($9.5 billion). Also, under Canada’s National Housing Strategy, a 10-year initiative launched in 2017, the government plans to construct 60,000 new housing units and as well as renew 170,000 housing units by 2029, with the total investment for the project valued at CAD14.6 billion ($10.6 billion).

The Construction in Canada - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2030 (Q1 2026) report provides detailed market analysis, information, and insights into the Canadian construction industry, including:

  • The Canadian construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity
  • Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, as well as an analysis of key risks and opportunities in the Canadian construction industry
  • Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, focusing on development stages and participants, in addition to listings of major projects in the pipeline.

Report Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in Canada. It provides:

  • Historical (2021-2025) and forecast (2026-2030) valuations of the construction industry in Canada, featuring details of key growth drivers.
  • Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector
  • Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.
  • Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

  • Identify and evaluate market opportunities using our standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies
  • Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts
  • Understand the latest industry and market trends
  • Formulate and validate business strategies using the analyst's critical and actionable insight
  • Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures
  • Evaluate competitive risk and success factors

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance
3 Context
3.1 Economic Performance
3.2 Political Environment and Policy
3.3 Demographics
3.4 Risk Profile
4 Construction Outlook
4.1 All Construction
  • Outlook
  • Latest news and developments
  • Construction Projects Momentum Index
4.2 Commercial Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
4.3 Industrial Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
4.4 Infrastructure Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
4.6 Institutional Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
4.7 Residential Construction
  • Outlook
  • Project analytics
  • Latest news and developments
5 Key Industry Participants
5.1 Contractors
5.2 Consultants
6 Construction Market Data
7 Appendix
7.1 What is this Report About?
7.2 Definitions
7.3 CRI Methodology
  • About the Analyst
  • Contact the Publisher
List of Tables
Table 1: Construction Industry Key Data
Table 2: Canada, Key Economic Indicators
Table 3: Canada, Commercial Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 4: Canada, Top Commercial Construction Projects by Value
Table 5: Canada, Industrial Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 6: Canada, Top Industrial Construction Projects by Value
Table 7: Canada, Infrastructure Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 8: Canada, Top Infrastructure Construction Projects by Value
Table 9: Canada, Energy and Utilities Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 10: Canada, Top Energy and Utilities Construction Projects by Value
Table 11: Canada, Institutional Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 12: Canada, Top Institutional Construction Projects by Value
Table 13: Canada, Residential Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-2030
Table 14: Canada, Top Residential Construction Projects by Value
Table 15: Canada, Key Contractors
Table 16: Canada, Key Consultants
Table 17: Canada Construction Output Value (Real, $ Million)
Table 18: Canada Construction Output Value (Nominal, CAD Million)
Table 19: the analyst Construction Market Definitions
Table 20: the analyst Construction Market Definitions
Table 21: Ratings, Scores and Definitions
List of Figures
Figure 1: North America, Construction Output (Real % Change), 2024-2030
Figure 2: Canada, Construction Output by Sector (Real % Change), 2024-2026 and 2027-2030
Figure 3: Canada, Risk Summary
Figure 4: Canada, Risk Regional Comparison
Figure 5: Canada, Construction Output Value (Real, $ Million, 2022 Prices and Exchange Rate), 2021-2030
Figure 6: Canada, Construction Output Value, by Sector (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 7: Canada, Construction Value-Add (CAD Million, 2012 Constant Prices), Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates
Figure 8: Canada, Investment in Building Construction (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Constant Prices)
Figure 9: Canada, Value of Building Permits Issued, in Seasonally Adjusted Constant Prices, % Change YoY
Figure 10: Canada, Construction Employment, In Thousands, In Seasonally Adjusted Terms
Figure 11: Canada, Building Construction Prices Indices, 2017=100, % Change (YoY)
Figure 12: Canada, Construction Projects Momentum Index
Figure 13: North America, Construction Projects Momentum Index
Figure 14: Canada, Commercial Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 15: Canada, Commercial Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 16: Canada, Investment on Commercial Building Construction (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Constant Prices)
Figure 17: Canada, Value of Building Permits Issued for Commercial Buildings (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 18: Canada, Number of Non-Resident Visitors Entering the Country, In Thousands
Figure 19: Canada, Retail Trade Sales (CAD Million), In Nominal Prices
Figure 20: Canada, Industrial Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 21: Canada, Industrial Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 22: Canada, Manufacturing Value-add, Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates (CAD Million, 2012 Constant Prices)
Figure 23: Canada, Investment on Industrial Building Construction (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Constant Prices)
Figure 24: Canada, Value of Building Permits Issued for Industrial Buildings (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 25: Canada, Sales Value of Goods Manufactured and New Orders of Manufacturing (CAD Million)
Figure 26: Canada, Merchandise Exports (CAD Million)
Figure 27: Canada, Infrastructure Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 28: Canada, Infrastructure Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 29: Canada, Value-add of Civil Engineering and Other Construction Activities, Quarterly Average, Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates (CAD Million, 2012 Constant Prices)
Figure 30: Canada, Energy and Utilities Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 31: Canada, Energy and Utilities Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 32: Canada, Capital Expenditure in the Oil and Gas Extraction Industries (CAD Million, In Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 33: Canada, Electric Power Generation, In GWh
Figure 34: Canada, Production of Crude Oil and Other Equivalent Products, YoY % Change
Figure 35: Canada, Institutional Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 36: Canada, Institutional Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 37: Canada, Investment on Institutional Building Construction (CAD Million, In Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 38: Canada, Institutional Building Permits Issued (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 39: Canada, Residential Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-2030
Figure 40: Canada, Residential Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 41: Canada, Value-add of Residential Building, Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates (CAD Million, 2012 Constant Prices)
Figure 42: Canada, Investment on Residential Building Construction (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 43: Canada, Residential Building Permits Issued (CAD Million, Seasonally Adjusted Terms)
Figure 44: Canada, New Housing Price Index, 2016=100
Figure 45: Canada, Dwelling Construction Started in Canada, In Number
Figure 46: Canada, Headquarters of Key Contractors (% of Total Project Pipeline)
Figure 47: Canada, Headquarters of Key Consultants (% of Total Project Pipeline)