Mr. Speaker, an agreement to reduce the number of hours worked by truck drivers will be concluded in the next two weeks between the partners in the Canadian transportation industry.
Mr. Vaudreuil, the president of the CSD, in Quebec, feels that reducing the number of hours worked is a noble principle as far as health and safety are concerned. He is, however, worried about its effects on the income of the 900 trucker-owners in his association.
If the rates remain the same, the independent truckers will simply be earning less. This is less of an issue for the thousand or so unionized drivers in Quebec.
In order to settle the income issue, a consultation committee must be struck to bring together representatives of industry and of the various levels of government. According to Mr. Légaré of the independent trucker association l'Association des camionneurs artisans du Québec, the solution in Quebec depends on truckers' right to unionize or on the creation of a trade association to represent them.