Truckers warn that the deadline this week for enforcing the requirement to be vaccinated before entering Canada will put strain on already struggling supply chains amid the new wave of cases of COVID-19 and severe labor shortages.
Tractor-trailer drivers and other essential workers who want to enter Canada will need to be fully vaccinated starting Saturday and will be turned away – or, if they are Canadians, required to self-quarantine – if they cannot show up. proof of vaccination.
According to Stephen Laskowski, leader of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, about 10% of the 120,000 Canadian truckers crossing the border may no longer be able to work on cross-border routes because they are not vaccinated.
American Trucking Association chief economist Bob Costello estimates that just under half of the 28,000 American drivers who regularly transport goods across the border will no longer be able to do so, posing an additional threat for the smooth supply of food, fuel and auto parts.
Report requested
Federal Conservatives as well as trade groups representing oil, manufacturing and exporting companies are asking Ottawa to extend Saturday’s deadline, announced in mid-November.
The Canada Border Services Agency says it will have “mechanisms” in place to facilitate cross-border trucking, but “will not jeopardize the health and safety of Canadians over wait times at the airport. frontier “.
The CEO of Ontario-based Titanium Transportation, Ted Daniel, which has a fleet of 800 heavy vehicles, says 95% of its drivers are fully vaccinated. “It’s probably not a good time, is it?” They have enjoyed this exemption for quite a long time. So maybe now is the right time, ”he said.