Living in Caledon, which borders Brampton and Vaughan, is living at ground zero for truck industry chaos. We are experiencing a public safety crisis. This is not an exaggeration. A typical daily commute involves cars surrounded by trucks in every lane, and car drivers taking risks to get around the extreme congestion. It involves trucks with improperly trained drivers pulling U-turns on highways, driving at speed on the road shoulder in the opposite direction of traffic, pulling into oncoming traffic from narrow roads and driveways, and bullying car drivers. Recently there's been a drastic increase in extortion crimes, with bullets flying into homes and businesses. It's not “if” but “when” something horrible will happen.
We are surrounded by illegal truck yards where trucks, trailers and intermodal containers are stored on improperly zoned land. Residents are impacted with endless noise, traffic congestion, environmental concerns and potential for organized crime, just to mention a few. This isn't happening in just Caledon or Ontario. It's happening across Canada.
To effectively address these public safety concerns, simply lifting the T4A moratorium is not enough. All levels of government need to be accountable for working consistently and collaboratively to make meaningful changes within their purview. Canada needs a national commercial driver safety registry accessible to enforcement officers to ensure meaningful accountability instead of relying on fragmented provincial systems, as some drivers routinely move between provinces or carriers.
In regard to the criminal justice system, Adrianna's death exposed a serious gap in how Canada treats fatal negligence involving commercial drivers, currently handled under provincial offences, often with minimal sentences. There needs to be federal recognition that, for example, a fully loaded transport truck running a red light is not comparable to inattentive driving or a momentary judgment error. When a commercial driver causes a death, it should trigger mandatory Criminal Code consideration and not default to provincial offences. Sentencing guidance must account for the elevated professional duty of commercial drivers and the associated risk of severity in harm.
We fully support good truck drivers and companies—even owner-operators or independent drivers—who follow the law and take their responsibilities seriously. They are all an essential part of our economy. Without them, our lives would look very different.
I'll pass it to Carmela.