Individual CTA carrier members have stepped up efforts to express their concern the federal government has not committed to meaningful enforcement of Driver Inc carriers.
The strongly-worded letter below is from Jonathan Neeb, of Kitchener, Ont-based Frontier Distribution Services Inc. to PM Trudeau, Finance Minister Freeland, Minister of Labour O’Regan and Minister of Transportation Rodriguez, and his local MPs, Mike Morrice and Valarie Bradford.
CTA urges members to follow suit and send similar sentiments to the PM, Ministers and local MPs:
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you today to echo the sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Trudeau on March 13, 2024, regarding our country being one of laws, rules, and responsibilities. (“We are a country of laws, we are a country of rules, of responsibilities … and we expect people to obey the law.” – Justin Trudeau March 13, 2024.) His words underscore the importance of upholding the law and ensuring that all citizens are protected from exploitation and abuse.
Unfortunately, there is a pressing issue that demands immediate attention – the rampant misclassification of employees, forced labor, and tax evasion within the trucking industry. It is disheartening to witness hardworking Canadians being misled, coerced, and stripped of their rights under the Canadian Labour Code by unscrupulous individuals who prioritize profit over people. Not only are hardworking Canadians being exploited, but companies such as mine that follow the laws are facing a climate of unfair competition that threatens our survival.
As citizens of this great nation, we expect our government to enforce existing laws and put an end to these egregious violations. It is imperative that measures are taken to eradicate practices such as Driver Inc., which perpetuate forced labor and deprive workers of their rightful wages and protections.
Moreover, the theft of tax dollars through such criminal activities undermines the integrity of our tax system and erodes public trust in our institutions. It is time for decisive action to be taken to curb these unlawful practices and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
I urge you, as leaders entrusted with the welfare of our nation, to prioritize the enforcement of laws aimed at protecting workers’ rights and ensuring fair and ethical business practices within the trucking industry. Please take the words of the Prime Minister to heart reaffirm your commitment to justice, equality, and the rule of law by taking swift and decisive action to address this pressing issue.
There have been encouraging words from the government on stopping this issue, promises of funds in budgets to enforce but the reality is there has been little done and the problem is getting worse due to inaction. The time for words is over and if the words of the Prime Minister about Canada being a nation of laws, rules and responsibilities are to be believed, then firm, swift and concrete action needs to be taken or those words are meaningless and this criminal activity will continue.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope you have the courage and integrity to prioritize the laws of this great county over potential votes from a group of citizens that overtly break the law for their own gain at the expense of others and choose to ignore their responsibilities as residents of Canada. I eagerly await your response and actions on this critical issue.