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OTTAWA — Labour standards in Canada’s trucking sector are under scrutiny as a House of Commons committee launched a study of the issue this week and the Bloc Québécois called on the government to end what it calls exploitative practices.
The transport committee is studying an industry business model known as “Driver Inc.,” in which transport companies classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
“The unfortunate truth about this scam is that bad actors are not only winning, they are also taking over the industry and the Canadian supply chain,” Canadian Trucking Alliance president and CEO Stephen Laskowski said at the committee meeting.
Laskowski said these drivers are “virtually indistinguishable” from traditional employees because they don’t own or lease their vehicles and have little to no financial stake in the business. However transport companies can use their status as contractors to deny them benefits.
“The only difference is they are coached, coerced or elect to incorporate themselves in an attempt to masquerade as something other than an employee,” Laskowski said. “For the company, they use this justification to strip workers of all their labour right entitlements.”
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said as independent contractors, the drivers are exposed to tax, labour code and workers’ compensation liabilities.
The committee study will include at least six meetings and the committee is expected to ask the minister of transport and the secretaries of state for labour and revenue to testify.
Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval, the party’s critic for transport, held a press conference with representatives of the trucking industry on Monday.
They presented ten recommendations to the federal government, including asking for an official inquiry into driver exploitation, a public registry of non-compliant companies and a ban on temporary foreign workers operating as incorporated drivers.
“For us, it’s important to resolve the crisis in the trucking industry because there are jobs in Quebec that are in danger,” Barsalou-Duval said in French.
Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking Human Resources Canada, told Tuesday’s committee meeting that unethical trucking companies are operating in “clear violation” of tax and labour codes.
“It represents a black market, an illegal rogue practice within the Canadian trucking sector, characterized by the deliberate misclassification of truck drivers as independent contractors rather than employees,” Splinter said.
Splinter said the “Driver Inc.” model is undermining the long-term sustainability and stability of the workforce. She said it’s also creating a “rigged market” where compliant carriers struggle to compete against those exploiting the model for savings and profit.
“This negative reputation fostered by these unethical practices is prompting new entrants and existing workers to seek opportunities elsewhere,” she said. “There is a growing concern that the lack of labour protections will have a profound impact on the availability of skilled workers in the future.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
