Conservative MPs baffled by lack of support for essential truck drivers

In a letter to CPC Shadow Minister Todd Doherty, Calgary Forest Lawn MP and Deputy Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Jasraj Singh Hallan, spoke to the concerns of truck drivers amidst COVID-19.

In correspondence with his office, he states:   

“I have been very concerned about my friends in the trucking industry as they work to keep our supplies in stores. They face closed restaurants and even bathrooms as they make their way around the country. I wrote a letter to CPC Shadow Minister Todd Doherty to encourage him to write a letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau about the situation. Working together, we can all get through this situation. Thanks again to everyone working to keep Albertans healthy. Thanks to all our trucking brothers and sisters for all that you do.”

The letter to Doherty can be viewed below.

With restaurants, fast-food joints and public washrooms left inaccessible at times to those covering large swaths of the Trans-Canada Highway from Alberta to B.C., Hallan notes that their continued efforts were appreciated and that their problems must be met with “quick relief measures” to “ensure their well-being.”

Hallan rightfully takes the higher route, ushering togetherness amongst his constituents and all Canadians. “Because it is their well-being that will ensure our well-being,” he states, a sentiment which CPC incumbent for Edmonton Millwoods, Tim Uppal, attests.

“Truck drivers work for days on end to provide us with food and other essential products. Dine-in restaurants are closed and the drivers are not allowed to walk up to drive-thru windows or use the washrooms. They deserve better. We need to work together to solve this problem for our truckers.”

In a recent statement by Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Bill Blair, the federal government reaffirmed transportation workers as essential staff that “maintain the health, safety, security and economic well-being of Canadians throughout this health crisis.” 

The Senior VP Policy to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, Geoff Wood, uttered praise for the guidance, stating, “CTA appreciates this guidance material and the continued recognition of the hard-working men and women in the trucking industry as an essential part of the nation’s fight against COVID-19.”

Recent sanitizer and toilet paper thefts have forced the closures of several rest stops in the province, which have exacerbated the problems felt by truck drivers.

Alberta Transportation has since reopened several locations.

As of today, Tim Hortons has kept more than 400 restaurants along Canadian Highways open to accommodate take-out service and provide washrooms – that is sanitized every 15-minutes – to patrons, who are predominantly transportation workers.