Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, everyone, for the invitation.
I'm joined today off screen by Mr. Geoffrey Wood, our senior VP, policy.
Today we'd like to talk about what CTA is, issues in the supply chain, and solutions.
CTA represents about 5,000 trucking companies across Canada and employs about 250,000 Canadians directly.
One of the questions before the committee today is this: What are the implications of the driver shortage in Canada, and what are its solutions? The implications of the driver shortage are being felt by all Canadian businesses and households today.
There is an old saying in our sector: “If you got it, a truck brought it.” That saying is a reflection that over two-thirds of our trade by value and almost everything in our workplace or residence was once in a truck, and in some cases, multiple trucks. However, what that saying is really missing is the major economic contributor to our sector and to the Canadian economy: truck drivers themselves.
In 2022, we are learning as a society that if we didn't get it, it's because we're short close to 30,000 commercial truck drivers in Canada today. That's 30,000 vacancies. What that really means is that there should be 30,000 more trucks in the supply chain that aren't there because we don't have people. What does that mean? It means our export and import market and our domestic market isn't functioning properly.
In late spring 2022, CTA hired Nanos and Associates to survey a sample of our board of directors. This sample represented about 39,000 trucks, 40,000 employees, and about 2.2 million annual loads.
Without question, it was almost unanimous that the number one issue facing our industry and their business is the existing staff shortage and exits and retirements.
As the Government of Canada looks to address the supply chain crisis, we remind this committee that by addressing the truck driver shortage, you are addressing all sectors of the economy to help them emerge from the supply chain crisis and the disastrous impacts of inflation.
The solutions are as follows: Improve the trucking industry's access to immigration; improve our access to training dollars; stamp out the underground economy, which we refer to as Driver Inc.; take a phased-in approach to the 10 paid sick days; and address border concerns.
CTA's recommended approach to these issues are reasonable common-sense solutions that require no new legislation or special treatment for our sector but merely an extension of current practices, access to programs, tools and funds provided to other sectors, or, in the case of the underground economy and Driver Inc., the enforcement of laws and regulations that are currently on the books.
Some of the above issues appear to be going down a very positive road with the Government of Canada. For that, we are very grateful to the various ministries and ministers we're working with. Other critical matters remain a point of significant concern for our sector and for all those who rely on reliable, safe and labour-compliant trucking partners in a time when truck capacity is low.
CTA stands ready to work with the Government of Canada in a collaborative manner as our sector enters a very tenuous and critical time in its history.
Thank you very much.