Government takes Driver Inc. issue “super seriously”: Minister Anand
The Driver Inc. issue remains on the federal government’s radar and is “on the desks” of the ministers of transportation and labor, said Anita Anand, president of the Treasury Board, speaking to Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada, at the 10th annual Women with Drive leadership summit.
“At this point, I can say I’ll take that feedback to them, including people clapping when you raised the point with me. I’m certainly in close touch with [Labor] Minister [Seamus] O’Reagan. I know he’s taking it super seriously.”
Anand noted the Treasury Board needs to hear industry’s feedback on all the processes and procedures in place to create more fluid and resilient supply chains throught programs like Let’s Talk Federal Regulations.
She also adressed the industry’s diversity efforts, calling it incredible.
“Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice. When I look across this room today, from table to table to table, I see diversity, and I see inclusion. And I see an incredible sector of our economy,” Anand said.
“In addition to wishing you a happy [upcoming] International Women’s Day, I also want to thank you for the contribution you are making to the Canadian economy each day.”
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Driving a commercial vehicle is not the equivalent of Uber Eats. We have over 4 decades of legislative determinations with respect to labour laws, taxation laws, and occupational health and safety regulations that have established the framework for employment in this industry.
Investigate and enforce sanctions for noncompliance. That is all the industry is asking for. When an employer is not following the rules, enforce them – for all of their employees, not simply the one who complained. Continued non-compliance needs to result in the suspension of authority to operate. The government wrote the rules, the government has the mandate to enforce them. One’s actions communicate one’s intent.
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I agree the fed gov needs to step in protect all truck drivers. I work with a nonprofit Huron Easy Share that has seen many truck drivers and Uber or similar type workers being treated very badly that came into Canada as foreign students or as foreign truck drivers. The fed should force Uber to pay all their drivers at least the min wage on payroll of the province and their in ,A wage is already is set (wage) to bring in foreign workers a hourly wage depending on if housing is provided and the type of any trucking company with 2 or more complaints should not be able to hire foreign workers even if they came as foreign students if 4 or more complaints the trucking company should loose their running rights and the whole miss treatment of truck drivers including driver inc would go away within 1 year and generate about 2 billion dollars more in tax revenue and truck driver wages would go up about the same amount in my opinion
When is the government and the trucking industry ever going to wake up? It’s all to do with wages. We are out here. 24 seven sit at the docks 6 to 7 hours at times to unload at $30 a drop so figure that out that’s about 550 an hour, then we go to the border to clear our loads sometimes sit there overnight or 2 to 3 hours to get cleared and we get $15 so who wants to be a truck driver now with the prices of food and meals. It is ridiculous. We are definitely working for less than minimum wage if you count all the hours we are there. Us drivers are out there for two weeks at a time I want to thank the die hard truckers that serve the country If it wasn’t for the truckers, we wouldn’t have meals on our tables and the fridges would be empty at home thank you
IF MINISTER ANAND IS TAKING THIS PROBLEM SO SERIOUSLY WHY IS IT NOT BEING STOPED .IHAVE BEEN READING THE SAME STORY FOR YEARS WITH NOTHING BEING DONE TO STOP IT
It is simple bring in a min set wages like the Port in Vancouver does for all drivers along with the California A B 5 law along all payroll drivers and all drivers crossing into the United States from Canada have a complete medical care and transport insurance if sick or injured and both driver inc and the ( truck driver get returned back to base and Short term housing and treatment if the truck driver does not have housing to go to. A number of moves have been done too try control drivers like speed limiters and elogs both reduced the truck driver freedom and may reduce their income. Some countries in Europe have a min driver pay for an experienced truck driver of 22 euro per hour plus overtime. Maybe Canada should look at the same thing and only allow driver Inc to used for foreign contract drivers for a max of 8 month a year from April to Nov as a short term stop gap until Canada has enough housing and then all driver inc should ended .