TORONTO, Ont – With snarled supply chain at the Canadian borders The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement on the state of the industry in support of vaccination and wants an end to protests developing across the country. With thousands of Canadian truckers not vaccinated against COVID-19 the supply chain that has already seen significant negative impact will only be thrown into more chaos if the industry continues to not comply with vaccination requirements.
“The Government of Canada and the United States have now made being vaccinated a requirement to cross the border. This regulation is not changing so, as an industry, we must adapt and comply with this mandate. The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated.”
Stephen Laskowski, President of Canadian Trucking Alliance
The alliance says “The vast majority of the Canadian trucking industry is vaccinated with the overall industry vaccination rate among truck drivers closely mirroring that of the general public. Accordingly, most of our nation’s hard-working truck drivers are continuing to move cross-border and domestic freight to ensure our economy continues to function.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges. CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed. Members of the trucking industry who want to publicly express displeasure over government policies can choose to hold an organized, lawful event on Parliament Hill or contact their local MP. What is not acceptable is disrupting the motoring public on highways and commerce at the border.”
Across the country, truckers lined up and paraded their vehicles at several international crossings this week — with the RMCP estimating 30 to 40 semi-trucks protesting in Manitoba on Monday alone. Videos have flooded social media and a trending hashtag has been seen on Twitter for several days.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Trucking Alliance said it “does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways and bridges,” adding that interfering with public safety is not how disagreement with government policies should be expressed.
“Members of the trucking industry who want to publicly express displeasure over government policies can choose to hold an organized, lawful event on Parliament Hill and not disrupt the travelling public,” the CTA said in a statement. “Otherwise, those who want to express disagreement responsibly can also participate in online petitions and write or speak to their local MPs.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the mandates at a press conference Wednesday, adding that details about its imminence were announced late last year. “We have been consistent on that,” he told reporters. There was a miscommunication from an official last week that contradicted that. That was quickly corrected. But trucking companies and logistics companies have known since November that this was coming,” Trudeau said.
“We will continue to make sure that we are getting what we need in Canada while, as always, putting the safety and health of Canadians as our top priority.”, said the Prime Minister
