Appearing before the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel in Halifax recently, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said the act and its companion legislation, the Motor Vehicle Transport Act, can allow the Canadian government to play an active role in promoting a safe, competitive, viable and environmentally sustainable transportation and trucking industry. According to the CTA, the question is whether the federal government wants to exercise its leadership and play that role.
The panel, headed by Halifax lawyer and businessman Brian Flemming, is reviewing the 1996 Canada Transportation Act to determine whether it provides the legislative framework for an efficient and flexible transportation system. It will report to the government in July 2001. The review is mandated in the legislation. Other members of the panel include Bob Rae, former Ontario premier; Glen Findlay, former Manitoba transportation minister; transportation lawyer Jean Patenaude; and Bill Watters, University of British Columbia professor of economics.
According to the CTA, the unwillingness of the federal government to finance provincial efforts adequately to implement safety standards on a consistent national basis and failure to show leadership in bringing provinces into line creates an uneven playing field for motor carriers.
Other highlights of the CTA submission:
- Infrastructure - The Canadian government should invest a more equitable share of the substantial tax revenue it receives from trucking by working with other levels of government and the private sector to put in place a program of accelerated infrastructure spending. CTA says a National Highway Fund, to be built from road-use taxes and charges, should be established with a view to ensuring long-term, substantial funding from all levels of government.
- Technology and innovation - The Canadian government should act as a facilitator in the introduction of new technologies through the provision of fiscal incentives (eg, accelerated CCA rates). The federal government also has a clear role to play in ensuring consistent national and international technical standards.
- Sustainable development - Environmental regulations should be consistent and balanced across all modes. Regulations governing engine emissions and fuel standards are much more rigorous for trucking than rail, for example, says the CTA.