This House of Commons committee meeting, part of a study on the changing landscape of truck drivers in Canada, heard from six witnesses: Chris McKee (Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association), Mark Bylsma (Spring Creek Carriers Inc.), Véronique Gagnon (Transport St-Pamphile Inc.), Jean-Claude Daignault (Fraternité des constables du contrôle routier du Québec), Matt Moyer (Toronto Police Service), and Mariam Abou-Dib (Teamsters Canada).
Chris McKee described the "Driver Inc." model as payroll, tax, and labour fraud that allows non-compliant carriers to undercut legitimate businesses by 25% to 30% per driver, costing the government billions. He recommended immediately lifting the moratorium on T4A slips, providing more resources to the CRA and ESDC for audits, barring non-compliant carriers from government contracts and immigration programs, and accelerating a national carrier database.
Mark Bylsma stated that his family business will not survive to a second generation due to Driver Inc., estimating his company could save $1.5 million annually by using the illegal model. He argued the government is "complicit" through inaction and called for enforcing existing laws, lifting the T4A moratorium, and having the CRA collaborate with provincial agencies like Ontario's WSIB, noting that 65% of drivers pulled over in a joint enforcement blitz were with Driver Inc.
Véronique Gagnon testified that illegal drivers lack basic knowledge, such as how to open a truck hood, and create chaos on the roads with unsafe equipment and undercut rates. She asked for financial support and for authorities to visit companies to verify driver skills, and suggested requiring proof of adequate insurance when renewing licence plates, disagreeing with any suggestion that the problem is solely provincial.
Jean-Claude Daignault explained that electronic logging devices have loopholes that prevent enforcement officers from verifying if driving hours are falsified, as companies can modify data before sending it. He recommended amending federal hours-of-service regulations to allow read-only access to log data, require payroll records for verification, and create a national safety registry, noting that insurance validity cannot currently be checked across provinces.
Matt Moyer noted that only a limited number of Toronto police officers are trained for commercial vehicle safety inspections, and that charges are often dropped or reduced in court. He highlighted the challenge of finding safe locations to stop trucks in a congested city and said his unit focuses on enforcement and education, but did not make specific legislative recommendations.
Mariam Abou-Dib stated that the crisis of non-compliance has led to unsafe roads, labour abuses, tax fraud, and growing xenophobia toward drivers from certain communities. She called for a national misclassification blitz with real penalties, more resources for roadside inspections, an expedited national database, and a review of the temporary foreign worker program, particularly to end closed permits that trap workers in exploitation.
During member questions, witnesses agreed that the federal government has a key role through the CRA, ESDC, and Transport Canada, and that coordination with provinces is essential. No procedural debate, motions, or votes occurred during this meeting.
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