The federal election campaign is now officially underway, and party platforms are beginning to emerge.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has added some trucking-specific topics into the mix with a wish list distributed to the leaders of Canada’s largest political parties – and it’s calling on more than 5,000 carrier members to add their individual voices.

The full list of election priorities include:

1. A level playing field– Tackling Driver Inc. tops the list of steps needed to ensure there’s an even playing field for operations. Driver Inc.is a tax-avoidance scheme that involves mis-classifying fleet employees as independent contractors.
2. Reducing carbon emissions– If a carbon tax is to be in place, the alliance is asking for the revenue to be redistributed through the industry, supporting programs that incentivize the purchase of new and greener trucking equipment, or retrofitting equipment that is already on the road.
3. Access to immigration channels– While the industry is increasing wages and better-marketing career opportunities, it needs more access to immigration programs to meet labor needs, the CTA says.
4. Recognized employer status for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program– There is a need for a “trusted employer” vetting process to expedite the related Labor Market impact Assessments (LMIA).
5. More access to programs that support better and effective training– The CTA is proposing a pilot program with enhanced training offered through select schools and by employers with proven track records.
6. Labour Code exemptions– Recent changes to the Canada Labour Code pose a “serious threat” to the industry, the CTA notes, referring to provisions such as advance notice that would be required for job schedules. While truck drivers are exempted through the documents used by enforcement teams, the alliance wants those provisions added to the regulation itself.
7. Support to improve road safety— The alliance points to a 10-point safety action plan which includes a call for governments to develop a proactive system to identify companies and drivers that pose a risk to public safety, and supply those who buy transportation services a ‘best practices’ guide to help identify unsafe operators.

Report by Hans Janzen