Evidence of meeting #19 for Declaration of Emergency in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.
A video is available from Parliament.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
If you look at the report today that says that there may be a return to these events in February, I would think that you would want to move with some sort—
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Sorry, you're out of time, Senator.
It's Senator Carignan's turn, but since he isn't online, I'm going to ask Senator Harder to go ahead. You have five minutes, Senator.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses.
Mr. Kingston, I was thinking that you were the Maytag repairman for a while. Let me start with you, but I will ask the same question to Mr. Laskowski as well.
In his testimony, Mr. Laskowski referred to the concern that they had with whack-a-mole in the sense of moving from Coutts. You close Coutts, and it goes somewhere else, to Blue Water or the like.
I think it would be very helpful for us to understand better the risks involved beyond Coutts and the Ambassador Bridge for your industry and how the Emergencies Act invocation gave some assurance as to the stability of the routes that were used.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association
Thank you, Senator.
What we witnessed instantly, once the blockade occurred.... Automakers are best in class when it comes to operating an efficient supply chain. They have multiple plans in place to divert the trade to get it to the plant. Immediately, trucks were diverted to bridges like the Blue Water Bridge, but the challenge we saw there is that they don't have the CBSA infrastructure to accommodate high volumes of trucks. As we heard earlier, Ambassador Bridge can see seven or eight thousand trucks per day.
What then occurred is that we had lineups, and then truck drivers were timing out, meaning that they could no longer be on the road. Although there were diversions occurring, it wasn't a perfect solution.
In some instances, automakers had extremely extraordinary measures to get parts to plants. There were ways to divert around, but nothing has the capacity you would have at the Ambassador Bridge, which is why it is such a critical piece of infrastructure.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Thank you.
Mr. Laskowski, how would you respond to the same question with respect to your industry and the concerns that you earlier described?
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
It was very frustrating. The blockades themselves were obviously frustrating, but it was equally frustrating was not knowing.... For example, at the the Ambassador Bridge, carriers started to divert over to the Blue Water Bridge. Well, the protesters adapted. Although huge numbers didn't go over there, it was enough on public highways to stop the trucks and stop trade.
The same thing happened at the Peace Bridge and throughout Canada, even at Pacific Highway in British Columbia, where you would have people just running onto the roads. The impact was significant.
Although they weren't as fortified as those at Coutts, Emerson and the Ambassador, it was disruptive. At the time—hindsight is always a benefit—you wondered what was next and when was it going to happen again. It was erratic and it couldn't be predicted.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Could I ask a follow-up question?
Once the Emergencies Act was invoked, were you and your truck association relieved that there was now greater predictability in the supply chain routes? In other words, it wasn't just relieving one bridge; it was actually providing confidence across the network of cross-border commerce.
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
Sir, as I mentioned in my opening comments, we are not security experts, but we do know that after the Emergencies Act was invoked, the blockades were lifted very shortly thereafter, and what I referred to as pop-up protests on public highways all stopped.
Our industry was relieved. The Canadian public was relieved and the supply chain was relieved.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
I'd share that view. My only concern was that it took longer than I would have wished for the invocation to proceed.
Brian Kingston, could you indicate whether your advice to the department to which you referred went beyond the measures that you've tabled today, or are they the same?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association
We provided a few more details, specifically with respect to CBSA staffing and infrastructure upgrades. We've also recommended and supported things like the completion of the Gordie Howe bridge as a secondary. We gave a little bit more detail.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association
We'd be happy to.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Senator Harder. You can whisper your question to your fellow senator.
Senator Patterson, you have five minutes.
Senator, Nunavut, CSG
I have no questions for now, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Did you want to give your five minutes to Mr. Harder? He seems to have more questions.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
This is club loyalty, I guess. I appreciate that.
I just want to follow up with Mr. Laskowski. Mr. Kingston has said he will table his recommendations. Has the truckers association formed, in a written statement or request, its views on what actions government or governments could consider to avoid or better prepare for the next event?
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
Just in general, we've said.... It's far from us to tell the enforcement people how to enforce, how to tell bridge operators how to operate their bridges and how to tell provincial and federal authorities how to talk to each other.
We do believe, and it's a simple suggestion, that if everyone gets around the table to develop a plan.... There may be parts where industry can't be involved because governments want to talk to just themselves or the enforcement people alone. We do believe the first step is that everybody who is responsible for those aspects at all those crossings needs to get to the table to develop individual plans. It can't be a cookie-cutter answer. Every crossing is different.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Thank you. That's a very good point to make.
Can I go back, Mr. Laskowski, to your expressed concerns with regard to the industry itself and the challenge of recruiting to your industry?
Could you tell us whether or not the events at the border themselves have been an obstacle to attracting potential drivers because of the risks of border interference or the like?
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
Border uncertainty is a challenge for our industry, and it continues to be a challenge. Truck drivers want to drive. They are obviously aware that the roads aren't always going to be clear and that the border is not always going to be easy to go over.
The short answer to your question is yes, it had an impact, and yes, there were a number of people who handed their keys in.
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Mr. Laskowski, did you have contact with your counterparts in the United States with respect to some of the issues that were raised in that there's a parallel set of regulations around vaccination restrictions and cross-border movements by the United States? Even the relief that you sought, had it been granted, would not have allowed your truckers to enter the United States because of the United States' rules.
What kinds of relationships did you have with your counterparts on this matter?