Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee.
My name is Shelley Walker. I'm the CEO of the Women's Trucking Federation of Canada. I've been a professional driver for over 30 years and now lead national efforts to promote safety, equality and integrity in trucking. Through WTFC, I support women, youth, newcomers and under-represented groups in building sustainable careers, and I lead the Know Human Trafficking campaign to educate our industry and the public about exploitation and forced labour. Trucking is uniquely positioned to be both a target of exploitation and a frontline defence against it. That's why I'm here today, to call for an end to predatory misclassification schemes like Driver Inc. that destabilize our industry and create fertile ground for trafficking.
Let me be clear. We fully support the lawful owner-operator model, but Driver Inc. is entirely different. It misclassifies employee drivers, strips them of protections, shifts liability onto individuals and rewards carriers who cut corners at the expense of safety and fairness.
Only 4.3% of truck drivers in Canada are women. Under Driver Inc., maternity leave, predictable schedules and workplace accommodations disappear, making it nearly impossible for women and other under-represented groups to build lasting careers. If we're serious about equity, we must ensure that every driver has the security that only employee status provides.
We're also seeing a rise in labour trafficking. Vulnerable drivers, often newcomers, are lured into fee-heavy arrangements and then trapped by withheld passports, phantom surcharges and threats. This is debt bondage in motion, a stain on our industry and a threat to Canadian values.
Predatory carriers gain up to a 30% cost advantage by outsourcing wages, benefits and safety obligations. Honest operators can't compete. Investment in training and maintenance dries up, and road safety suffers, with more fatigue-related collisions, mechanical failures and risk for Canadian families.
WTFC has submitted a proposal for a national trucking credential, a practical, enforceable solution to restore integrity, protect vulnerable workers and raise professional standards across Canada. The time for consultation has passed. What we need now is decisive action. By funding and implementing this credential, Canada can send a clear message that exploitation has no place in our supply chain, and trucking will remain a profession built on fairness, accountability and pride.
Thank you for your time and attention.