The Canadian Trucking Alliance calls on the federal government to protect immigrant truck drivers from employer abuse.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance calls on the Canadian government to deal with unscrupulous employers taking advantage of immigrant workers. This statement followed a publication in Globe and Mail, which claims that immigration consultants and trucking companies in British Columbia have forced temporary foreign workers to pay thousands of dollars in exchange for a truck driver’s job.
The article notes that many of the foreigners had no work experience or had very little experience driving heavy trucks, especially in winter conditions, and underpayment and overtime work were a common practice. Interviewed foreign workers said that they endured harsh conditions only to gain some time before applying for permanent residence in Canada.
The Globe and Mail investigation began after a loaded semi-truck, driven by an inexperienced driver from India, crashed into a bus with a hockey team from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, killing 16 people. Jaskirat Singh Sindu, who came to Canada to study, is currently serving an eight-year prison term for this incident and will be deported to India upon his release.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance notes the huge role of immigrant drivers in the Canadian trucking sector, which has one of Canada’s highest job vacancy rates at 6.6%, or about 20,000 jobs.
According to the Alliance, their proposal is not about closing federal or provincial immigration programs. They call for more effective control of employers who need a foreign workforce. Current immigration programs have to ensure that participating companies instruct workers when necessary, ensure their safety and acceptable working conditions, as wells as protect their health.
Following the tragedy in Saskatchewan, the Canadian Trucking Alliance developed a 10-point action plan to improve provincial and federal regulation of irresponsible trucking companies.
Currently, it is too easy to start a trucking business in Canada. Once in this sector, unscrupulous companies can easily hide from regulatory agencies and avoid coercive measures and sanctions. The Alliance said that a final regulatory work plan will be developed by the beginning of 2020. It will include more stringent requirements for starting a trucking business and measures for more efficient monitoring of existing trucking companies.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance also called on the federal government to take immediate action against the existing business model, where drivers are seen as independent contractors. According to experts of the Alliance, this allows “unprincipled fleet owners” to deprive drivers of health and safety rights and exposes them to significant tax penalties.