Evidence of meeting #113 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was drivers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
The other problem that has arisen where I live, with residential growth and so on, is the reduction in available routes to transport very large equipment. Is that something that crops up in your world?
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
Yes. In Europe, they build roundabouts so that a dimensional load can drive right through them. We'd like to see that in future designs, because right now we don't. The dimensional load is a concern whenever there is a roundabout. Some of them aren't large enough to handle those loads. I know municipalities all configure the same dimensions when they build roundabouts, but it probably should be revised to handle those dimensional loads.
Liberal
Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Ms. Healey, could you comment on climate change as it relates to your part of the world? You're concerned about the price on carbon and pollution. I can understand that, but what about the fact of climate change and how it may affect your part of the world?
Chief Executive Officer, St. John's Board of Trade
Right now, we're having 100 kilometre per hour winds and 40 to 50 millimetres of rain, which will all fall within a four- to five-hour time period. We will get more wind and rain in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've already experienced that. I have a roof that was damaged in the past year from damaging winds. I understand, and we understand, that the world is changing. We need to act now.
I would like to see the evidence to prove that a carbon tax is actually going to have an impact on lowering GHG emissions in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Atlantic Canada. We are already at 1990 levels for our emissions. One of our concerns is that there have already been negotiations with some of the larger, heavier industries in Newfoundland and Labrador to carve them out, leaving small and medium-sized businesses to pay the brunt of this. This is speculation, but it's from some of the information that we get.
Again, we are gravely concerned about not knowing the details regarding the carbon pricing that the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador wants to put in, and how much it really is going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When you look at in on a chart, Atlantic Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador in particular, are very minuscule with respect to the emissions that we have.
I believe that we all have to do our part. As a global leader, Canada has to do its part and lead the way, but we all know the vast majority of GHGs are coming out of China and India. I don't know how much Canada's changing of behaviour is really going to impact the world. It cannot from a leadership perspective, but my fear is that this carbon tax is a cash grab. It's not going to necessarily change behaviours or reduce the GHGs that we need to have happen.
Liberal
Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
I believe, based on my experience, that very large, heavy industry can't make an instant changeover. It's kind of being phased in for them, and so we hear the complaint that the little guys pay everything but the big guys get a break. You would virtually destroy those heavy industries with the imposition of carbon pricing to a general extent.
Would you agree with that? If we are moving in that direction, very large concerns have other issues which are different from smaller concerns.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
We only have time for a short answer from whoever would like to answer that.
Mr. Picard, do you want to answer that?
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
Absolutely, he's right. We're at the mercy of the manufacturers, and we're still trying to do our part by installing more technology on the trucks to reduce our fuel consumption. At the end of the day, is it a cash grab or is it really to change behaviour? We need to step back and look at our strategy when it comes to carbon pricing.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I want to welcome our witnesses here today. I've appreciated your testimony.
Ms. Healey, in your opening remarks and subsequent testimony, I think you've answered every question that I might have for you, so I'm going to direct my questions to Mr. Picard.
Both my son and my husband have class one licences and have been employed in the trucking industry in the past. I would have to say that we've had conversations about some of the challenges that the trucking industry is facing, but your stats with regard to the truck driver shortages are alarming.
I'll turn my thoughts to something that is top of mind for many of us since the tragic collision that took place involving the Humboldt Broncos. There have been repeated calls for governments to ensure that there is mandatory training in place for semi-trailer drivers. Not surprisingly, the Government of Saskatchewan responded almost immediately and announced that they would be looking to implement mandatory training for semi-trailer drivers.
I'm wondering if you could comment on whether or not your association, the trucking industry, believes that the federal government has a role in improving trucking safety and driver training.
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
Currently we're heavily regulated from a safety standpoint, but again, it all comes down to enforcement. The number one thing I would say is to start with mandating training. I've met with all four of my governments for the past three years to try to get that done. We're still scratching to make it happen.
You can never have too much training, but the basic would be 12 weeks, which is offered today in the driving schools. Most carriers today, after the 12-week training in the schools, add on another four weeks of training to make sure the drivers are ready for the road. They put a coach in with them for another four weeks. From that standpoint, we're doing our due diligence.
Whenever there is an infraction, it impacts not only the company's record but the driver's record. It impacts a whole.... I mean, if you have too many, you're up for an audit. We're very heavily regulated from that standpoint, and we're watched closely. Obviously, I think companies that don't do enough or that don't have a safety department or a safety manager should. Most of them do, but there are still some that don't.
From the standpoint of the federal government doing more, I don't know if there's more to do. I think it relies a lot on the companies today and on the provinces. Personally, I like to see training being made mandatory as a first step forward and to make being a driver a skilled trade. Right now, it's not. Those people behind the wheel have tons of responsibilities, including the weights, the national safety code they need to follow and the inspections they need to do. It's never-ending. The fact that we're not a skilled trade boggles my mind; you can't get a haircut today without someone being a skilled hairdresser.
We don't want to see another incident like that. What I'm liking going forward is that there's a lot of technology that's going to help our industry, such as the cameras and the sensors. I've tested trucks myself where the driver was talking to me, a car stopped in front of us and the truck stopped on a dime because of the technology they had in the front of their vehicle. Maybe mandating some of that technology as well and saying that for any company that buys a new vehicle that technology is needed on the truck....
There are some good things coming, but as I said, a lot of that responsibility lies on the carriers and on the provinces. We're definitely not going to stop pushing the provincial governments in eastern Canada to mandate training, for sure.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
I have one minute. I'll be really quick.
You mentioned the role of the provinces. Again, my son worked for a Saskatchewan trucking company, but he moved to British Columbia where he was responsible for the logistics at the port of Vancouver and even at the port of Seattle. I'm wondering if you could talk a bit about some of the issues for companies in traversing the country and having to deal with different rules and regulations in the various provinces, and if that creates challenges for your industry.
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
Absolutely. We need to be more uniform as an industry when it comes to our weights and dimensions rules. On the national safety code, as I said, it's fairly regulated but enforced provincially, so it's a mishmash of regulations that we need to follow. For example, if we hire an immigrant who's not familiar with our country, he has to become familiar not only with the language and the roads but also with all the regulations in the different provinces that he's going to cross and in the U.S. It's very challenging. We hire people and that's all they do: make sure that all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted from each province to make sure the goods get delivered.
Liberal
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Thank you very much.
I appreciate the opportunity to ask a couple of questions. Mine are going to be focused on the participation rates in the industry of indigenous individuals from Atlantic Canada and women. We know that the overall participation rate is quite low in Atlantic Canada.
Before we look to bring in foreign workers, our goal in Canada is to fully employ Canadians. I understand that about 3% of the drivers are females. What programs has your association undertaken to increase that participation rate?
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
We partnered with the Trucking Human Resource Sector Council Atlantic out of Nova Scotia, which has a program to attract women to the industry. They have different strategies in place to attract women and they've made a lot of progress, I'll be honest. They hold a conference every year and they bring in new women drivers to speak, and so on. It's baby steps, but we're seeing progress. It's not easy. Then again, we need to do a better job to go to places that we haven't gone to before to talk to potential candidates.
The same goes for indigenous people. I actually approached a few representatives to come and sit at my board meeting to talk to the board and see how they can get involved more to attract their people.
Last year we had two full classes of 12 people for drivers, and they all graduated. I'm sure they're working somewhere today.
Liberal
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
I understand that in Nova Scotia there are close to 34,000 indigenous people. Of those, how many of them would be employed in the trucking industry?
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
I don't have that number.
Liberal
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
It would probably be low.
Liberal
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Has the industry identified the barriers?
In western Canada it's a criminal record and the fact that most do not have driver's licences; if they come from reserves that's not a requirement.
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
Some of our barriers are obviously.... You need to get tested for drugs and alcohol and a criminal record. Most of them will go to the U.S., and they won't be able to cross the border. Most companies, 99%, will go to the U.S. because the bulk of their business is there. That's number one
Number two is getting funding for training. That's always a big barrier for anybody. We're working with our provincial government to try to eliminate that, or alleviate some of that burden by providing loans or bursaries, or things like that. In some cases that has worked.
The Trucking Human Resource Sector Council has done some really good things for supplying funding for some of those classes.
From that standpoint, it does create some limitations for people. It doesn't mean that we end it there. We continue to push, because as the lady said earlier, we're in desperate need of drivers.
Liberal
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
There's a whole opportunity for women and indigenous people to be drivers, if we can eliminate the barriers.
Thank you.
Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association
I attended a conference not too long ago and they were all talking about mining and the oil sands and all of that. I got up and said that our industry is looking for drivers. I've created tons of contacts with indigenous communities that have called me directly to put people through their training classes.
We're doing what we can as an industry.