Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Today, we have strategic messages to pass on. My colleagues know where I stand. Now, today, we are taking action to protect truckers and ensure tax fairness. The federal government has an opportunity to close loopholes and improve safety on our roads. As committee members, we have the opportunity to make recommendations.
We have a strong, impressive industry. I'm thinking of the witnesses' data on the number of drivers and the huge quantity of goods they are responsible for providing to us. Moreover, it is a strong industry based on fair rules, which should be followed by everyone. We've learned at this committee that some of the rules are easily circumvented. That bothers us, and me in particular. People who are not on the straight and narrow bother me. Together with our partners, our goal is to build a fair and sustainable strategic transportation sector. We really need to find the solution to improve the ecosystem and put an end to the Driver Inc. model.
Let's remember the former police officer who came to talk to us. The last time, I ended my remarks by talking about his great testimony and his years of experience. I can say that I was pleasantly surprised to welcome Ken Adams. On October 7, 2025, he came to talk to us about his experience. He represents 40 independent schools and has 30 years of experience. The witness told us about the deterioration in the quality of training. I take training to heart. I won't repeat my training experience, but hearing about corruption and falsifying documents bothers me.
At the same time as this witness, we heard from Mark Seymour, representing Kriska Transportation Group. To refer to what I said earlier, he said that 50% of applicants request Driver Inc. status. That bothers me a great deal, because not only is it immediately profitable, but it is also a way to get around the laws, both for drivers and businesses. Mark Seymour runs a 47-year-old family business. When he joined the company, his father had three employees. Now they have 800 trucks and obey the rules. Imagine the burden of compliance by these companies for each truck. We've heard the figures: people can save $20,000 to $30,000 by bending the rules. That amount, multiplied by 800 trucks, is a huge amount of money that can have a huge impact on the company. He made the same comment as all the other witnesses, that he's just asking for fair competition. Fair competition must be applied not only to help this company, but also to help all companies in order to achieve a more balanced market and ecosystem. It starts with us.
My message is that if we don't act quickly on this issue, it could get confusing and lead us off course. Compliant companies like the one he represents are going to be increasingly difficult to run.
Competition must be fair and without shortcuts, because shortcuts jeopardize public safety on the road. Companies that follow the rules are more careful, inspections are better and drivers are better trained, but there is a cost. If we want to preserve businesses that play by the rules and quality jobs, we must ensure fair competition and act now to put an end to the Driver Inc. model and restore a level playing ground in the industry. We have to respect the testimony of the owner of a company that has come so far in 30 years.
On October 9, we heard from Chris McKee, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, which represents 340 businesses. We heard from a police officer, a representative of 40 schools and a representative of 340 businesses employing tens of thousands of Canadians in the Atlantic provinces. I always focus more on Quebec and Ontario, because they are side by side and I know more about them. I've visited places and businesses in Quebec, so it's easier for me. Hearing this witness who represents the Atlantic provinces really struck me, because now I know that there is also misclassification there. As independent contractors, drivers meet the definition of employees under the Canada Labour Code. As I mentioned earlier, the Canada Labour Code lists certain rules that we must comply with. We work with the provinces and territories, but we are not on the lookout for tax fraud, social fraud, unpaid premiums and rule-breaking drivers, even in the Atlantic provinces.
We've heard a lot about under-the-table work. The topic has not been addressed by all the witnesses, but being paid off the books, as they say, meaning working under the table, is often synonymous with an underground economy. The underground economy was encouraged by the moratorium on the T4A slip introduced in 2011 by the Conservatives. The moratorium allows businesses to have only one company that works for a company while always driving the same truck from the same company. On paper, it's easy to get around. The government remedied that today.