Evidence of meeting #76 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was business.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank all the witnesses making the presentations to us this evening. It's very helpful.
First of all, Mr. Tisdale and Mr. Hatcher, you indicated that you have a situation of looking at paperwork, with I guess the processing of it being a problem. Can you expand on that?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Yes. It just seems that from when this project started, what was explained to us is really not the reality of how this project is working right now. Things are changing, including the timeline to put someone through.
Dave, I know that you had a challenge with a person you put through and the amount of time for him to get his work permit processed in Alberta. How many months did it take?
Owner, Tisdale Trucking Ltd.
Oh, it took a while. I don't know; it was maybe six or eight weeks to do that.
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Yes.
Owner, Tisdale Trucking Ltd.
And he was a guy who was already here. His LMIA had run out and he had heard about the pilot project. The company that he was working for wasn't going to renew it and wasn't going to have anything to do with the pilot project, so he was in a bind. You had somebody do a presentation at Day and Ross. I sent my wife to that. We were a little bit in tune with that pilot project, and we helped this guy out. It took a while. Nobody really knew too much about the pilot project.
I called T.J. Harvey's office and got some help there. They were very helpful. I called a lot of people to get some help. Eventually we got him through.
Then we ran into an education problem. He had to send it back to wherever he was from—
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
The Ukraine.
Owner, Tisdale Trucking Ltd.
—the Ukraine—and that took a month. Then it went to Alberta. That took a little over a month because they were behind. By the time he got to put it back so he could get his status, the time had run out.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
I get your point. Thank you.
You indicated as well that you have an extra 2,000 loads a year that you could ship to the United States if you had the drivers. Obviously you have the economic activity there. Yesterday Dr. Emery indicated to us in a presentation here before us that capital draws business and draws investment. You will see that because you're hauling products from many companies in the Maritimes, in Atlantic Canada.
Can you indicate your thoughts in regard to what needs to be done to enhance that? Obviously we have capital-intensive businesses in other parts of Canada, as mentioned earlier in reports today. There's the oil industry out west, and the agriculture industry, which is a big part of the Maritimes as well. They're capital-intensive. So if you have those businesses there, what else can be done to attract that kind of economic activity? Can you tell me whether or not you think that the corporate tax changes the government has proposed would be a detriment to businesses expanding in the Maritimes?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
I haven't quite had the chance to look at the corporate tax changes that are coming. I don't want to speak to that on behalf of Day and Ross or our industry. I just know that the trucking industry is a very capital-heavy industry. For our brokers to buy a truck, such as Dave Tisdale, it would cost about $230,000 or more, in that ballpark. Any tax breaks that could assist them would be great and would spur economic growth. It would allow Dave to buy more trucks and put more drivers in them.
As a company, too, at Day and Ross I think we look at that the same way. We are continually investing in new trailers and our owner-operators through increases in their pay packages.
I'm not sure how the tax issues are going to affect you, Dave.
Owner, Tisdale Trucking Ltd.
I'm not sure either. I haven't followed up on it. That's my accountant's job to tell me that.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Yes. We've heard from a lot of those.
Lastly, you're looking for truckers all the time. I'm from Manitoba, and I see lots of Day and Ross trucks crossing the country. With the growing amount of trucks we have in Manitoba companies, there's a growing number of women interested in driving trucks in the future here as well, or there has been over the last few years. Are you seeing that as well?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Oh yes, most definitely. I have Crystal involved in a project or a committee advancing women in trucking. We are more than happy to hire female drivers. We employ many husband and wife teams. It is a growing segment in our industry. We're doing what we can to help our industry grow in that way.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Akbari, you indicated that the rural is more impacted than most of the urban population or most of the urban centres in regard to these declines. Can you expand on that? Obviously, if the population is going to be down in the Maritimes or in Atlantic Canada in 2026 by 4.6%, with 71% being seniors who are left, what economic programs do you see as necessary to stimulate the economy to not only get young people to stay in the Maritimes but also attract new companies or public offerings?
Professor, Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity, Saint Mary's University, As an Individual
Natural resource-based companies are mostly located in rural Atlantic Canada, so something could be done to promote the natural resource-based industries, like the agricultural and the fish industries. They are important there. Already there are some incentives provided for people to move to rural Atlantic Canada and stay there. When new immigrant physicians come in and they are preparing for their licensing, they are attached to a mentor. That mentor helps them practise in their field while they are located in rural Atlantic Canada. That's one way they are doing that. We need similar kinds of schemes to provide incentives to newcomers to settle more in rural Atlantic Canada.
Professor, Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity, Saint Mary's University, As an Individual
We have found that there has been an increasing trend towards that.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for their presentations.
Mr. Hatcher, you mentioned in your presentation that with regard to the pilot program, you know of a group who was excluded from being able to get into the pilot program because their business existed for fewer than two years. Did I hear you correctly?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Yes. We have people who are excluded because they haven't been in business for two years. We also have some brokers who work for us who are based in Ontario who will place jobs in Atlantic Canada, but they are excluded from this pilot project as well because they're not based in Atlantic Canada. I can see a benefit for the provinces in Atlantic Canada if these people were allowed to hire drivers and put the jobs in Atlantic Canada. I think it is virtually the same as having an Atlantic Canada company, such as Tisdale Trucking, hire people.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Just so that I'm clear, are these workers you're hiring all temporary foreign workers? Do I understand that correctly?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Yes. They are temporary foreign workers who will be fast-tracked into the provincial nominee program.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Right. What if the government were to look at revamping its immigration policy so that, when these temporary foreign workers come to Canada, right off the top they come as permanent residents and don't have to go through this whole process of getting a work permit, being delayed in getting a work permit, and having to go through another process to get their permanent resident status? Would that be helpful and beneficial for the Atlantic provinces and for your businesses?
National Manager, Owner Operator Recruiting, Day & Ross Freight, Day & Ross Transportation Group
Oh, it would most definitely be beneficial to a company like Day and Ross Transport. That would mean that a foreign worker coming in or a foreign worker who has permanent residency could start his own business right away and be an owner-operator for us. That would be an ideal situation for Day and Ross Transport.
Owner, Tisdale Trucking Ltd.
Most people, when they come here, want to be an owner-operator. They want to go to the next step. They want to have their own business. In my mind and in the minds of most other people, if you have your own business and you're based in Atlantic Canada, you're going to stay there. But if you're working for me and you get your permanent residency, then you could take off and go somewhere else. That's the difference.
