(Photo: The Canadian Press)

By The Canadian Press

CFIB urges Ottawa to reverse trucker vaccine rule amid driver shortage, higher costs

Jan 26, 2022 | 7:47 AM

TORONTO, ON – Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses is urging the federal government to reverse its policy banning unvaccinated truck drivers from entering Canada.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the vaccine mandate is creating supply shortages and driving up shipping costs.

CFIB president Dan Kelly says businesses were already facing a major supply chain crunch and price increases on everything from fuel to building materials. He says Ottawa’s border policy threatens to exacerbate those issues at a time when small businesses can’t handle any additional costs or uncertainty.

The CFIB represents 5,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada, including roughly 500 in the trucking sector.

The business group says the transportation industry has been one of the hardest hit by labour shortages, with a recent survey finding 68 per cent of businesses in the sector are unable to hire enough staff.

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Meanwhile, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is assuring Canadians that there is no reason to fear food shortages will come as a result of the vaccine mandate.

READ MORE: Alghabra says vaccine mandate for truckers not causing food shortages, empty shelves

(The Canadian Press)