Thank you, Madam Chair.
I thank our guests for joining us.
I will begin with you, Mr. Picard.
Since the beginning of this study, thanks to the testimony heard and the visits we made, we have been able to see the pivotal role played by the trucking industry.
When each port proposes to make improvements to its infrastructure to be able to do more with it, it must be ensured that the chain continues all the way to the end. Yet, according to figures provided by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, the average age of truckers is about 48. As a result, by 2024, there could be a shortage of as many as 48,000 truckers in Canadian industry.
In this strategy to increase fluidity in the transportation of goods, what is the first problem that should be addressed? Is it the shortage of truckers? If there are no truckers and ports increase their capacity, gridlock will still arise.