The vaccination requirement for truckers crossing the border is not responsible for the difficulties in the supply chain, assures Omar Alghabra, Federal Minister of Transport.
“It is clear that this measure has had no impact on the volume of products crossing our borders,” assured the minister during a press conference on the sidelines of a summit organized by the federal government to discuss the supply chain issues.
He mentions that the volume of goods crossing the border was not affected during the first and second week following the adoption of the vaccination requirement, “despite a snowstorm, despite a holiday in the United States”.
Ahead of the requirement, several business representatives called on Ottawa to extend the Jan. 15 deadline for Canadian truckers who want to avoid a 14-day quarantine when crossing the border from the United States. .
A few days before the deadline, the CEO of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, Véronique Proulx, said she feared that the decision would “inevitably weaken the supply chains already greatly disrupted by the pandemic”.
Mr. Alghabra acknowledged that there are problems with the supply chain, but he believes that the vaccination requirement is not responsible and would not have made the situation worse.
In the food sector, grocer Métro said last week that the vaccination requirement had not made supply chain problems worse. “Freight prices have risen sharply over the past year,” said President and CEO Eric La Flèche. We had an immediate increase because of this requirement, but I can’t say it caused any major delivery issues for us. »
Federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne went further, saying the vaccination requirement was necessary to ensure supply chain resilience.
“With more vaccination, we can reduce the infection rate, the hospitalization rate, we can reduce absenteeism. This is the reason behind our decision and science is on our side. »
The conference took place while downtown Ottawa has been paralyzed by demonstrations by opponents of health measures for three days. The movement started with truckers opposed to the vaccination requirement, but it has widened to express a fed up with health measures.
Creation of a working group
The federal government has announced the creation of the Supply Chain Task Force. The group will consult with industry experts to propose “actions to take” to strengthen the supply chain in Canada. Transport Canada will also create an online portal for stakeholders and businesses to submit their opinions and suggestions.
The National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) will also launch a new $50 million call for proposals to fund projects to reduce supply chain congestion at Canadian ports. “We want to make sure that what Canadians need gets to them as quickly as possible,” Alghabra said.