'Vaccine is the way': Some Alberta truckers say the solution to the mandate issue is simple
Alberta's transportation minister says she is watching the unfolding situation involving the vaccine mandate for Canadian and U.S. truckers that could cause problems in the industry.
Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney made a statement on the issue Saturday, saying that more than 50 per cent of Alberta's gross domestic product is delivered by truck, so the service is essential for the provincial economy.
"We have been working with our industry stakeholders throughout the pandemic to maintain an effective workforce and transportation network. We have also worked with the federal government to address the challenges faced by our industry, and we will continue to advocate for our interests," Sawhney said.
On Thursday, the federal government announced it would not be changing the rules for Canadian truckers to allow them to cross the Canada-U.S. border without proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19.
The change is despite an announcement made earlier in the week that Ottawa says "was provided in error."
Sylvain Charlebois, who is a food policy and distribution professor, says the impact to Canada's supply chain could be huge.
"Most food companies are already operating with 15 to 20 per cent fewer people," he told CTV News. "And over $25 billion worth of food comes from the United States every single year. So we are expecting smaller businesses, independent grocers, to have a hard time getting food."
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, in a statement to CTV News earlier this week, said the government's mandate would result in approximately 16,000 cross-border drivers leaving their jobs.
Trucker Graham Cool says he knows many industry colleagues who will be impacted.
"There's a little bit of a sentiment that the guys don't want to do it, they don't want to be forced to do it," he said. "But I'm double vaccinated.
"I think the vaccine is the way to get out of this mess. We also have to think about everyone else in the world. I'm crossing over five or six provinces and all kinds of different towns."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.