Ottawa offers up to $90 million in tariff-related financing to C.A.T.
The federal government is providing up to $90 million in loan assistance to Quebec-based transportation and logistics provider C.A.T. North America as ongoing trade disruptions continue to reshape freight flows across North America.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the support June 3, saying the financing will help the carrier maintain operations, protect jobs, and preserve transportation capacity amid shifting trade patterns and supply chain disruptions.
The funding would be provided through the federal government’s Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) facility, a $10-billion financing program established earlier this year to support Canadian companies affected by tariffs and related trade measures.
According to the government, changing trade patterns are creating challenges for transportation and logistics providers by altering freight volumes, rerouting supply chains, and increasing operational complexity. Those changes have increased costs and reduced efficiency while forcing carriers and logistics companies to adapt to fluctuating demand and evolving cross-border trade conditions.
Headquartered in Vaudreuil-Dorion, C.A.T. North America employs about 1,670 people in Canada and operates a fleet of more than 1,500 power units and 5,000 trailers. The company provides longhaul trucking, intermodal transportation, warehousing, distribution, and cross-border freight management services.
“Our government takes action to support Canadian companies impacted by ongoing trade disruptions,” Champagne said in a statement. “C.A.T. plays a key role in Canada’s economy by ensuring businesses move goods efficiently across North America. This support will help this major transportation and logistics employer continue delivering for Canadian businesses while maintaining critical transportation capacity and protecting jobs.”
The LETL program was announced in March 2025 and is administered by the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation, a subsidiary of the Canada Development Investment Corporation. The facility was created to provide liquidity to large Canadian employers facing tariff-related pressures while preserving jobs and maintaining critical economic capacity.
For C.A.T., the financing is intended to ensure the company can continue supporting manufacturers, retailers, and industrial customers that rely on its transportation and logistics network throughout Canada and the U.S.
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.
-
I am hearing of a number of companies that have been very slow paying independent operators over the last 18 months in Ontario Maybe the Federal government and all the provinces should look into this and look back at all companies back to the beginning of 2024 for both this and checking out those who have driver inc drivers in the months of December till March in 2023 till now?.Also make it a requirement that broker loads and lease ops be paid at 28days or penalties are attached? Those agree or volunteer could be eligible for a fed loan at 9% for up to 6 months gross to help the industry and some help with insurance costs for the first 20 trucks in the fleets to insure new drivers that have been in Canada for over 1 year
Hi please post correct information , as C.A.T has 360 trucks not 1500 , this bailout does not seem fair, as large transport company which did not manage the company right way are being favored plus there brokerage division in the past year did not pay the carrier who worked for them delivering loads more than 6 months . All transportation companies were hit due to freight disruption and other factors but favoring some companies is not right use of tax payers money.
Maybe CAT should stop cutting rates to such an extent as to now they need a 90 million dollar welfare bailout from the Canadian Government…just another example of a poorly managed company getting bailed out while the carriers who continue to make the right and often times difficult decisions to weather the “storm” are left to subsidize these ” welfare bums”
Sounds like another maislin transport deal by the corrupt liberal government
Is this just coincidence that this company is based in Quebec. The finance minister is from Quebec. All good things come from Quebec.(?)
It appears that the government finance department isn’t any brighter than the banks that are cleaning up the disasters after funding a number of other large carriers that can’t run their business properly
OK, what is the Canadian government doing to help the small to mid-size carriers who face the same the same trials and tribulations as the large companies ? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander ? Didn’t Cat just buy Warren Gibson for over 100 million dollars ? This doesn’t seem fair at all ? It would appear the rich just get richer ?
Yours truly
Tim Harris
C.E.O. Norlite Inc
Tharris@norlite.ca
More than $50,000 per worker.
Where does the line start?
Massive Bail Out for Big Business while Small business is getting strangled by bureaucratic reviews and tax grabs. 46% of non government workers in Canada work for Small Businesses.
Hi , did anybody did there research on C.A.T , this company for the past 1 year has not been paying the carrier for the loads they delivered for them . There assets division does far less revenue then there brokerage division , which has offices in USA as well. Bailout should then be applied to all transportation companies.