The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says the industry is experiencing its toughest economic climate in three decades, warning that new federal measures may help some carriers while hurting others.
“Many of our members are facing the worst economic conditions our industry has seen in three decades,” CTA president and CEO Stephen Laskowski said in a news release. “Beyond the programs announced today, the biggest message to Canadians and businesses was the free trade economy we have known for over four decades is on life support, and, perhaps, may never come back as we have known it.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier told Canadians the country must be ready for a rapidly changing future — one that has already disrupted businesses and curbed investment. He unveiled new measures aimed at protecting the economy while transforming strategic industries.
The CTA cautioned that while some measures could provide relief for employees and fleet owners, others risk rewarding carriers engaged in misclassification and tax evasion schemes.
The alliance stressed that additional employment insurance (EI) weeks for long-tenured workers should not be extended to drivers operating under the personal service business model. CTA maintains this misclassification scheme numbers in the thousands and should not be rewarded.
No abuse or misclassification
It also said government procurement policies that prioritize Canadian firms must ensure that companies benefiting from contracts are not abusing or misclassifying their workforce.
On fuel policy, CTA noted that amendments to the clean fuel regulations need to reflect operational realities. Carriers continue to face high costs and limited supply of biodiesel, and the group said renewable diesel remains the more viable option.
Finally, the alliance reiterated that any heavy-truck carbon reduction measures tied to the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard must be developed in partnership with OEMs and aligned with the policy direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
