Quebec truckers hold demonstration disrupting morning commuters, demand stricter enforcement of regulations

It was a difficult Monday morning in the Montreal area for commuters as truck drivers from the “Assez C’est Assez” movement launched a demonstration and took to major roadway arteries – ultimately disrupting rush hour traffic in several Quebec cities. Some truck drivers met at 5 a.m. to protest the number of truck operators without Quebec-approved permits — noting that it poses a risk to road safety.

Now, they are demanding stricter enforcement of transportation regulations, while highlighting the phenomenon of ‘illegal truckers.’

“I’m surprised this movement did not happen sooner. We’re finally seeing a lot of the rage start to boil up and spill over into Montrealers’ daily lives, and it’s unfortunate that it had to get there,” says Chris Monette of Teamsters Canada.

“We’ve been talking about the same issues that these truck drivers are talking about for years in terms of the crisis in the trucking industry that stems from the government’s failure to actually enforce their own regulations,” he said. “Everybody from drivers on the road to bosses in corporate boardrooms, [from] reps and union halls, they’re all in agreement that the government needs to regulate this industry.”

Truckers from the “Assez C’est Assez” or the “Enough is Enough” movement had planned to meet at dawn in Montreal, Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, and Gatineau. However, the demonstration in Gatineau was cancelled.

While clarifying no involvement with the demonstration, Monette explains that the movements’ many complaints derive from Driver Inc – claiming that it is a tax and employee misclassification scam, which is a tax scheme in an attempt to reduce taxes and a way to avoid paying into QPP and EI, among other programs.

“[It’s] workers, oftentimes immigrants, oftentimes people with limited language skills and who don’t quite know how things work in Canada, are conned into incorporating into self-incorporating and driving the truck despite being, for all intents and purposes, a regular employee,” he explains.

“What that means is that these workers are not paying into QPP, they’re not paying into EI, they’re not paying into any government programs. Employers who are abusing these workers are able to turn around and charge far less for their services, but they’re also skirting other regulations at the same time.”

Monette says in many cases these are workers who are getting their permits from what he calls ‘shady trucking schools’, oftentimes based in Ontario, adding that they’re workers who might not be driving trucks that are fully up to date and fully inspected.

“Road safety is a huge issue, and it’s something all truck drivers care deeply about. Once people start skirting trucking regulations, start skirting the tax code, start skirting the Canada labour code, it’s not quite a jump, therefore afterwards to start skirting training requirements,” he says.

The truckers had made it clear that their goal was to slow down traffic, but not to bring it to a complete standstill. In particular, they had assured that they would only drive in the right lane and respect the minimum speed limits.

According to the protest organizers, “statistics show an alarming increase in road accidents involving trucks, illustrating the urgency of reform.”

Despite multiple attempts, spokesperson for the movement Steve Bourgeois was unable to comment on the event or on whether there will be any future demonstrations 

“It is imperative that the government divide the solutions between provincial and federal jurisdictions so that each level fully assumes its responsibilities,” reads the petition they launched.

“Among these measures, the implementation of appropriate infrastructure for stricter enforcement of transportation regulations is essential.”

On Aug. 25, a man died in a collision with a heavy truck on Highway 50. Three days later, a mother and her 5-year-old son died following an accident with a heavy truck on Highway 30.

Labor lawyer Marc Boudreau provides further insight into the movement’s message on increasing safety on Quebec roads.

“What they’re exactly doing at this moment is they’re, and I think rightfully, they’re blaming what’s happening with the truck business, especially coming from Ontario, while people are not qualified, driving big trucks, 18 wheelers, and plus, in a way they don’t have the qualification for that,” Boudreau said.

“It’s very dangerous for the population.”

Boudreau clarifies that this isn’t a strike, based on the labour code. He explains that it is a grassroots movement aimed at putting pressure on the government.

“I think what they’re doing at this moment is what they should be doing, which is putting the light on the problem,” says Boudreau. 

“A very clear example has occurred about a truck driver involving accidents where families were killed or seriously injured.”

Monette explains that they’ve been warning the government for years, but because of “government negligence and government refusal,” legitimate truck drivers are starting to get frustrated. As for now, the ball is in both the Quebec and Ontario governments’ court for action

“It is a major problem and I think people should address the situation,” Boudreau said.

“That should be the next step. It’s to evaluate how it’s done, how permits are given, what are the verifications being done to make sure that there’s quality control somewhere and that those who are driving those trucks are doing so in a very safely manner.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews