Bloc Transport Critic Calls for More Testimony From The Victims of Trucking Lawlessness

The federal Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) has spent the fall looking into the lawlessness in trucking perpetrated by the Driver Inc model.

The testimony to date has featured many different perspectives, including appearances by key ministers and government officials. However, the Bloc Québécois Transport Critic Xavier Barsalou-Duval says the government needs to hear impact statements from citizens and victims of labour abuse and unsafe trucking fleets.

Flanked by road safety advocates and community stakeholders, Barsalou-Duval demanded at a press conference in Ottawa that the Committee expand its scope to include these groups.

The Caledon Community Road Safety Advocacy (CCRSA) Group - which advocates to end the lawlessness in its community associated with Driver Inc. - participated in the event by highlighting the rapid increase of truck collisions, related fatalities, traffic violations by untrained truck drivers and mounting truck congestion in the community.

"Caledon, Ont. is ground zero for all the consequences of Driver Inc. … Our residents are forced live with the fallout of illegal truck yards, containers stored illegally on agricultural land, traffic chaos and conditions that have already caused far too many injuries, deaths and close calls," says Amanda Corbett of the CCRSA. "All of this is a risk to public safety and we have had enough. These illegal operations are not harmless. They are tied to organized crime, and tax evasion. And while these operations profit, it's our community that pays the price in safety, health and quality of life."

CTA president and CEO Stephen Laskowski agrees it's critical the committee continues to hear from victims of the Driver Inc scheme to craft a comprehensive report on the crisis.

"The stories these groups and citizens want to tell must be heard so Ottawa can truly understand the destruction Driver Inc is bringing to our industry, to our communities, and to our international reputation as protectors of human rights and as a nation that upholds law and order," says Laskowski.