As a new federal government gets settled in Ottawa, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has offered a plan to support growth in the economy while improving highway safety and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.<\/p>\n
Working off of the government\u2019s own stated priorities, the CTA submission \u2013 which was sent to the Federal Ministers of Transport, Environment, Finance, Infrastructure and Public Safety \u2013 highlights key areas where Ottawa and the industry can work together to achieve common goals.<\/p>\n
Specifically, CTA made recommendations that, if adopted, would contribute to:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that many of the policy directions we are recommending in our submission are consistent with the government\u2019s platform of promoting economic growth and competitiveness and will help it achieve its stated election promises,\u201d says CTA CEO David Bradley.<\/p>\n
Labour <\/strong><\/p>\n Specifically, CTA is calling for the government to rank trucking as a skilled profession under the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Bradley says that not only would this help attract drivers to the industry \u2013 which is facing a demographic tsunami and a prolonged shortage<\/a> of up to 33,000 qualified drivers \u2013 but also create new, well-paying jobs for Canadians. At the same time, there is currently little funding available to help new entrants offset the costs of truck driver training.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s intention is to work with provinces and post-secondary institutions to develop or expand Pre-Apprenticeship Training Programs and provide up to $10 million per year to help young Canadians gain the skills they need to enter high-demand trades. However, as long as trucking is deemed \u2018unskilled,\u2019 underemployed Canadians interested in the industry are unable to take advantage of these programs.<\/p>\n \u201cThis situation needs to be addressed for the industry to meet its labour needs,\u201d says Bradley.<\/p>\n Infrastructure\/Congestion <\/strong><\/p>\n CTA applauds the government\u2019s recognition that Canadian cities need stable funding to correct gridlock problems. While CTA supports the idea that transit funding is key to relieving congestion, the Alliance is also urging the federal government to work with provinces and municipalities in identifying strategic road-freight infrastructure investments so that our urban areas are able to accommodate efficient goods movement. Transit, CTA notes, also does not replace the need for a long-term, sustainable program of strategic infrastructure spending, particularly as it pertains to highways and bridges.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting people out of their cars is a key part of the solution to relieving congestion, but there is consistently little attention being paid to goods movement strategies, nor does it address the fact we\u2019re the only major industrialized country on the planet not to have a national highway policy,\u201d says Bradley. \u201cThe recent problems<\/a> at the Nipigon River Bridge in Ontario underscores the need for the federal government to provide dedicated support of roads and bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n Taxation <\/strong><\/p>\n A new government in Ottawa also provides the opportunity to correct the longstanding\u00a0 issue regarding the federal excise tax on diesel fuel \u2013 revenues of which, as CTA repeatedly points out, simply flow into general coffers and currently serves no policy purpose. While the former government never followed through on a commitment to cut the fuel tax by 50%, CTA is once again asking that rather than reduce the tax, it should at least be dedicated to road\/infrastructure spending.<\/p>\n Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n On the environmental front,\u00a0 the Canadian trucking industry continues to be a world leader in terms of embracing innovative solutions to enhance fuel economy. As the federal government moves toward establishing national GHG reduction targets, CTA wants to ensure the significant contributions generated by the trucking industry through proposed mechanisms like carbon taxes or cap and trade systems, should be reinvested into the sector to accelerate market penetration of existing and proven GHG-reducing technologies, devices and alternative fuels. Concurrently, enhancing existing tax measures to generate more investments in the research, development and marketing of clean technology would also indicate to the industry the government is a willing partner in reducing carbon emissions from the road transport sector.<\/p>\n