Go ahead, Ms. Vyce.
Evidence of meeting #17 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sector.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #17 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sector.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Senior Research Officer, Canadian Union of Public Employees
Thank you, Mr. Doherty.
I would like to clarify, first of all, that Michael Hurley is the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.
Initially, long-term care was sort of the long-forgotten cousin of other sectors within the health care sectors, primarily hospitals, so workers in the long-term care sector did not initially have adequate access to PPE. Some workers in some homes were outright denied access to PPE; in other cases, it was being locked up and very tightly rationed.
We believe that workers are now gaining access to more PPE, but early on, it was certainly a dire problem that we believe contributed to the spread of the virus throughout long-term care homes.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Terry Dowdall Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Okay, thank you.
Earlier in April there was a survey that came out in Manitoba which said that 58% of health care support workers surveyed felt they hadn't been provided—
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marcus Powlowski
Pardon me, Mr. Doherty, but your sound quality just got really bad.
Can you try the question again? Be very careful to speak clearly.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marcus Powlowski
There's a lot of noise when you speak. I'm not sure what the problem is, but we'll try to see if the interpreters are able to manage it. Speak a little slower and more carefully. I'll give you a bit of extra time to accommodate for this.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Terry Dowdall Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Sure.
A recent survey showed that 58% of health care support workers felt they hadn't been provided with enough PPE. With home care workers, 77% of respondents reported a lack of PPE.
I wonder if those numbers are still accurate, Ms. Vyce.
11:50 a.m.
Senior Research Officer, Canadian Union of Public Employees
That would be something we would have to check on with our membership to determine if the situation has improved since those figures were last published.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marcus Powlowski
Mr. Doherty, the interpreters can't here you at all.
We'll suspend for a couple of minutes and we'll try to get your sound sorted out.
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marcus Powlowski
On my clock it says two minutes, but I'll give you three minutes.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Terry Dowdall Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To our guests from the Canadian Trucking Alliance, you've been very complimentary to the government in response to the challenges the trucking associations have faced. I've been in touch with many trucking associations across our country that are fairly frustrated in terms of some of the responses, and the challenges that truckers have faced along the way.
As you know, the federal carbon tax went up by 50% on April 1. To an industry like yours, and given the situation we find ourselves in, I know the impacts of this must be significant.
Can you talk about the impact of the carbon tax on the trucking industry?
11:55 a.m.
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
There we go, Mr. Chair. Thanks for reminding me. I'm getting used to this new system. I'm sure my wife would like the mute button.
As you are aware, and everyone on the committee is aware, the carbon tax went up on April 1. With regard to the carbon tax, and relief measures in general, the Canadian Trucking Alliance put forward several different measures and options with regard to relief for our industry. It included a freeze on the carbon tax from the March date to April 1. That was a measure we brought forward as a potential relief option.
However, by far the greatest measure and impact we have with regard to our industry regarding cash flow—and cash flow is the big issue—is the measure we brought forward with respect to payroll taxes, which is a three-month deferral with a 12-month to 18-month payback. Then, with regard to specific relief for truck drivers, obviously meals have gone up dramatically, whether across Canada or into the United States. What we're asking for in regard to that is an increase in the meal allowance.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Terry Dowdall Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Mr. Laskowski, I'm a former transportation guy, so I'm very well aware of the labour shortages that we face within the trucking industry. Do you see COVID-19 hurting our opportunities to hire or worsening this labour shortage?
Noon
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
I'll answer it this way. I've never seen an improvement in the image of our industry in terms of what it means to be a truck driver in Canada.
Noon
President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
If you go to #ThankATrucker, you see an elevation, and deservedly so, in the general public's mind of what it means to work in our industry, to drive a truck and the importance of it. I won't get into it on this call, but we hope to maintain that esteem and to attract people to our sector. Our sector, like all sectors in the economy, prior to COVID-19 was, and no doubt coming out of COVID-19 will be, struggling to attract labour to it. Indeed, that is a question for us, and one that we're working on.