The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly sworn-in cabinet to deliver urgent reforms for the trucking industry, as business leaders brace for what they describe as one of the most consequential legislative periods in recent Canadian history.

Following the unveiling of Carney’s cabinet on Tuesday, May 13, the CTA highlighted key priorities, including tearing down internal trade barriers, addressing regulatory inconsistencies, and cracking down on what it calls an expanding underground economy in trucking.

The CTA is pushing for the elimination of what it sees as unnecessary taxes, including a return of the federal carbon tax on fuel, along with stronger border measures and a more efficient immigration system to support driver recruitment. It also wants more practical greenhouse gas regulations and the removal of interprovincial trade barriers. Most urgently, the alliance is urging Ottawa to take action on the underground trucking economy, which it says drains more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes annually and threatens compliant carriers.

Delivering those reforms will fall to Carney’s new team of ministers.

Freeland, LeBlanc, Sidhu to focus on trade

As a sign of how important the trade file has become, three ministers will play key roles as Canada charts a new path in its relationship with the U.S. and works to reduce internal trade barriers.

Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister and finance minister, will now head the Ministry of Transport and Internal Trade. Her predecessor, Anita Anand, becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Dominic LeBlanc will oversee Canada-U.S. trade and intergovernmental affairs, while Maninder Sidhu becomes the minister of international trade.

The appointments come on the heels of Carney’s meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week, where the U.S. president indicated he would not be lifting tariffs on Canada any time soon. The two leaders also discussed reopening the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, with Carney saying “some things about it are going to have to change.”

In response to those challenges, Carney has pledged to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, saying the move could boost the national economy by $250 billion. The timeline is especially important for fleets, which often face fragmented provincial rules and permitting requirements.

“The Canadian Trucking Alliance is eager to work with Prime Minister Carney and his team of ministers in what will be arguably the most important legislative period in modern Canadian history,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski in a related news release. “There is much to do in our sector, but we strongly believe these obstacles can be overcome with the leadership and political will necessary to deliver the policy reforms and ministerial focus required to address what is ailing the Canadian trucking industry.”

This story includes files from The Canadian Press.