By Asia Samachar | Canada |
South Asian truck drivers and trucking company operators in Canada are coming together to ensure that their voice is heard when decision impacting the sector are made.
On Jan 22, some 1,000 of them converged at a gala dinner, including federal and state lawmakers.
Meet the new powerhouse in the name of Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA), which badges itself as the newest and fastest-growing trucking association in Canada, with members from across the country.
“Truckers are a core part of our economy, and kept us moving during the pandemic and continue to do so every single day. #Mississauga is grateful for the critical work that it’s truckers and logistics workers do for our City,” tweeted Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie.
Maninder Sidhu, the MP for Brampton East and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, tweeted: “Our federal government will continue our focus on growing opportunities, trade, and jobs to support the important work of our incredibly hard working trucking industry.”
The trucking industry has grown immensely over the years, with many new drivers, carriers, and suppliers bringing incredible diversity to a critical part of Canada’s economy. Its members move much of Canada’s goods every year.
“While this growth has brought new energy to the industry, it has also meant traditional associations and bodies have failed to change with the times and provide space at the table for a wide array of diverse perspectives,” according to the company’s introduction at its website.
The trucking community is facing a number of challenges, one of them being improperly classifying employees as independent contractors. The new association has engaged a legal team to take up the matter with the relevant authorities.
According to the 2016 census, South Asians comprise 18 per cent of all Canadian truckers. In major cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, they make up more than half the industry’s work force.
Outlining its mission, CTAO said it is to ensure all voices are heard in the trucking industry, whether that’s drivers and owner-operators, small to large-sized operations, or suppliers.
“We believe in inclusive decision-making on policy, regulatory, and legislative issues and ensuring those speaking for the industry understand and reflect its new diverse makeup,” it added.
In a tweet, CTAO executive director Jaskaran Singh Sandhu said the association believes in inclusive decision making, and will make sure they are at the table from city halls to the federal government. The Ontario-based lawyer was a former executive director of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
“The folks in this room have, not to their fault, been missing from the table,” Sandhu said at the event as reported by a trucking publication. “They’ve been missing from the conversations that impact policy, regulations and legislation that impacts the trucking industry, and that’s a shame. It really is a shame that these people here today haven’t been able to provide their perspective on the policy that impacts them and we’re here to change that.”
“Our federal government will continue our focus on growing opportunities, trade, and jobs to support the important work of our incredibly hard working trucking industry,” tweeted Maninder Sidhu, the MP for Brampton East and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Among others present at the event were Hardeep Grewal, Member Of Provincial Parliament For Brampton East and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Of Transport; Sheref Sabawy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Mississauga—Erin Mills and Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown.
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