Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting Bruce and me to speak on this critical issue.
Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, on behalf of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, or CIFFA, thank you for giving us the opportunity to appear before you.
Before we start, we'd like to compliment the committee for its diligence in chasing these issues, which are so serious and so complex. It means a lot to all of us in the industry that you're looking for any solutions that government might provide.
The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association—also known as CIFFA—represents some 300 regular member firms, from the largest of global multinational freight forwarding firms to small and medium-sized Canadian companies. CIFFA member companies employ tens of thousands of highly skilled international trade and transportation specialists. Our members are the front line of Canada’s supply chain, managing the majority of freight shipments.
It’s important to note that we also represent drayage operators—the truckers serving the ports and container terminals where you have seen such congestion in recent years—and the freight brokers, who manage the movement of cross-border trade.
The human resource problems in the supply chain are critical and are not getting better. Many of the problems are tied up with the frustrations of the supply chain itself. People used to make their money on speed and volume. Today, that’s impossible in many areas. The system is, in effect, seized.