Representatives from the trucking industry are bracing for a sizeable loss from their workforce.
New entry requirements set to begin on Jan. 15 mean truck drivers will only be allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved for entry into Canada.
“The reality is we could potentially lose 10 to 20 percent of drivers if this goes into effect,” said Jean-Marc Picard, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association.
These new requirements have been in the cards for quite some time, said Picard, the only question has been when will they go into effect.
Discussions between national representatives and the government have not made a significant change or resulted in the extension wanted by the association.
“If they’re going to do it, they might as well do it for all jobs directly connected to trucking, not just for drivers. We need to ask customers, warehouse workers, and things like that,” said Picard, noting they do not agree with these measures.
Still reeling from the effects of port closures and climate disasters, supply chains could be in for another blow.
“If you order a piece of equipment today, you can’t get it probably for a year,” Picard said.
Picard said the long-standing worker shortage in the industry has been “manageable” to this point, but that will change come mid-January.
As for the direct effect it will have on Canadians, Picard said consumers can expect to see the price of goods continue to rise.
