OTTAWA — An Alberta cupboard minister is looking on the federal authorities to clamp down on immigration abuses within the industrial trucking sector, warning that inaction is placing lives in danger.
Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen stated the inevitability of vehicles crossing provincial strains places the onus on Ottawa to behave on fly-by-night trucking corporations that exploit badly skilled international drivers.
“Fraudulent (trucking corporations) doing dangerous issues in different provinces after which transferring to Alberta is, sadly, one thing that’s been occurring,” Dreeshen informed Nationwide Submit.
Dreeshen had a
busy 2025 tackling fraudulent actions
in Alberta’s trucking sector, shutting down 5 substandard driver coaching faculties and 13
so-called chameleon carriers,
that are trucking corporations that change identities to cover previous security violations.
An internet search reveals that at the least eight of the 13 shuttered chameleon carriers have possession ties to the South Asian group.
The Edmonton-based Indo Canadian Driver Coaching College Inc., was on an inventory of three of the shut-down faculties shared with Nationwide Submit. The opposite two faculties can’t be named as they’re interesting the federal government’s choice.
Dreeshen stated that the federal authorities has stepped up “on the reporting aspect” to assist the provinces and territories maintain tabs on chameleon carriers, however added it wanted to do a greater job of vetting migrant truck drivers.
The federal authorities additionally introduced
steps to crack down
on the intentional misclassification of truck drivers as impartial contractors, a rip-off generally known as Driver Inc., in November’s price range.
Dreeshen confused the necessity for higher oversight of Indian nationals recruited to drive vehicles in Canada.
“There’s extra we are able to all do … to be sure that, if there are individuals from India who wish to transfer to Canada, and wish to become involved within the trucking trade, for them to know the expectations of the coaching that we’ve right here in Canada,” stated Dreeshen.
Roughly
one in 5 of Canada’s truck drivers
have South Asian backgrounds.
A current
report revealed in Nationwide Submit
argued there’s not sufficient publicly out there knowledge to find out whether or not South Asian drivers are disproportionately at-fault for lethal incidents on Canada’s highways.
Dreeshen stated that Alberta just lately began monitoring the
security data of particular person drivers
, however added these data don’t but embrace nationality. Previous to the change, which began on Dec. 1, accidents would go on the report of the motive force’s firm.
His feedback got here simply earlier than Friday’s report
from the Alberta Subsequent Panel
, which really useful that the province maintain a referendum in 2026 on exercising extra management over immigration.
Dreeshen declined to say the place trucking would slot in a “made in Alberta” immigration system, however did say the adjustments would give attention to higher tailoring immigration to the province’s financial wants.
“I feel what it’ll appear to be, in 2026, is one thing just like what Quebec has; the place the province can point out to the federal authorities, these are the sorts of immigrants that we would like, that is the quantity of immigration we expect our province can deal with,” stated Dreeshen.
The Home of Commons transportation committee simply wrapped up hearings on the
altering panorama of Canadian trucking
. Committee chair, Liberal MP Peter Schiefke, didn’t reply to a request to touch upon this story. Emails to the places of work of federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab and federal Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon additionally went unanswered.
Nationwide Submit
rmohamed@postmedia.com
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