A growing controversy is unfolding in Ottawa as Tejpreet Dulat — a long-time Liberal donor and close ally of Prime Minister Mark Carney — takes the lead as spokesperson for the Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA).
The group represents drivers tied to the Driver Inc. system, which government agencies say is costing billions in lost tax revenue and is linked to a rising number of serious truck-related accidents.
Trans-West CEO Réal Gagnon reacted strongly to the situation, saying that when an illegal system is allowed to grow by the government, honest drivers and carriers are the ones who pay the price.
Dulat is not an ordinary spokesperson. He has worked inside Liberal political circles for years, helped with Carney’s leadership campaign, and was present at the prime minister’s private swearing-in ceremony. Several other CTOA leaders are also major Liberal donors.
Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval said the close financial and political ties between the association and the Liberal Party are worrying, especially considering how widespread the Driver Inc. problem has become.
While this debate grows, Ottawa is facing pressure from multiple sides. Federal agencies, industry groups and even U.S. officials have urged Canada to tighten enforcement to prevent poorly trained drivers from entering the industry and crossing the border. At the same time, the CTOA has held several meetings with political advisers and MPs, even though the association is not yet registered in the federal lobbyist registry.
The group opposes new CRA penalties for companies that fail to report payments to incorporated drivers and is resisting stricter immigration rules that affect international students and temporary foreign workers — two groups heavily represented in Driver Inc. operations.
All of this is happening amid worsening safety data. Quebec reported a 35% increase in deaths involving heavy trucks in only one year, and recent cases — including the arrest of a driver who had reportedly driven 87 hours without rest — have intensified the focus on the system. Mandatory truck-driver training in Quebec will only take effect on December 15.
With an estimated 120,000 incorporated drivers nationwide and annual tax losses reaching up to $5.2 billion, the federal government is being pushed to act. But with the CTOA gaining political influence, reforms to the Driver Inc. model may become one of the most challenging policy fights in Canada’s trucking sector.
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