Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland toured Bison’s Winnipeg headquarters this week to get a sense of trucking industry operations, truck driver issues and cross-border trade.
Bison executive chairman Don Streuber and president-CEO Rob Penner arranged the visit and meeting with Minister Freeland and CTA president Stephen Laskowski. The group discussed various “bread and butter” strategies to improve border efficiency and driver treatment. The Minister was very engaged and met with several Bison drivers for their own views of the issues.
Laskowski took the opportunity to commend the minister on her hard work and efforts to conclude trade talks with the U.S. “Your leadership and the realties you faced as a negotiator will not be forgotten by our sector.”
Now that a deal framework has been negotiated, it’s time for Canada to “maximize” the benefits by making investments in staff, policies and an IT network that makes the border function more efficiently.
“A modern trade deal must be supported by a modern physical infrastructure and information technology,” Laskowski said.
Freeland was so impressed with the event that she suggested the company and CTA host other trade and border dignitaries, so they too can get a first-hand look at the industry’s experiences with cross-border trade.