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.
Read More :
Could Mr Carney not be charged if this keeps going the slaughter of innocent Canadians The people that what this didn’t care about the people that in their country when they were there so maybe time for them to go back to the place or problems they left and leave our country alone
About time thank you Mr Barsalou, Duval keep on fighting this is a dangerous game our prime minister is playing. He obviously Love to see people dying on ours HIGHWAYS.
Driver working on Payroll Is a Guarantee that there will be no more accidents. There should be more enforcement on Road safety rather than how the drivers are getting paid.
Just saying don’t know if our prime minister has any children but if it was of his kids that died on the road because of stupidity my e just maybe things would change and no I’m not wishing anyone death or injury only other way is going to be for northerners to close the hwy until they hear us loud and clear