The following op-ed, written by Trucking HR Canada CEO Angela Splinter, first appeared June 24 on iPolitics. Reprinted with permission.
It seems Canada is no longer resting on its laurels. After years of tepid economic progress, lagging GDP and productivity growth, and a cozy relationship with red tape that keeps so much from getting done, the federal government is taking aim at the status quo.
Bill C-5, otherwise known as the One Canadian Economy Act, is the battle plan, laying out the federal government’s approach to buy Canadian by removing internal trade barriers, advancing major projects of national interest, increasing the flow of goods, getting our resources to export markets, and supporting labor mobility.
And while the government can certainly be applauded for this collection of ambitious goals, the success of Bill C-5 will very much rest on the shoulders of a group of hard-working, everyday Canadians who keep our economy running — the 700,000-plus workers in trucking and logistics — almost half of whom are truck drivers. But Canada simply doesn’t have enough of them.
In fact, Trucking HR Canada’s most recent labor market information projects that 40,400 jobs in trucking and logistics will be vacant in 2030.
Driver shortage a perennial issue
And while new 2025 data show some temporary relief in terms of demand – Canada’s shortage of qualified truck drivers is a perennial issue that cyclically and consistently rears its head. It is a serious business concern for a sector that quite literally drives our economy forward every single day.
Indeed, nearly everything we buy, sell and consume in Canada gets moved on a truck, not to mention that much of what we sell to other nations arrives at our ports on a truck.
According to Transport Canada estimates, trucks hauled the dominant proportion (77.7%) of the total volume of goods moved within Canada in 2020, while 22.2% of goods moved by rail, and 0.1% moved by air.
It’s no wonder then, that the average annual GDP of the core trucking and logistics sector was $45.2 billion between 2013 and 2022. Not only do more than two-thirds of Canadian goods move on trucks, but the sector itself is a significant part of our economy and is a key success driver across this government’s stated priorities — infrastructure, housing, manufacturing and food supply are stalled without a solid and steady supply of qualified truck drivers.
Boots on the pedals needed
With all this in mind, it is concerning that we so rarely hear policymakers talk about trucking and logistics in a time of great ambitions around launching nation-building projects, increasing labor mobility, and removing internal trade barriers.
Simply put, the one Canadian economy we do have, let alone the one our government has committed to creating through its aim at the status quo, will get nowhere fast if there are no boots on the pedals.
Which is why the federal government needs to prioritize trucking and logistics within the Prime Minister’s roadmap for economic growth.
That means taking a stronger approach to transforming the Temporary Foreign Worker Program so that well-paid and qualified workers from other nations can join reputable employers in this essential industry, and supporting multi-year training, grants and awareness programs so that more Canadians not only consider a career in trucking and logistics — but will be enabled in their pursuit of one.
Industry and business leaders have known for years that the right mix of programs and supports will be essential to our continued economic growth, and that trucks on the road will be just as much a sign of Canadian nation-building and prosperity as new innovations in artificial intelligence, increased critical mineral exports, or new infrastructure.
Because if Canada is truly going to face the moment with urgency and build an economy that is stronger and more resilient, our policymakers at the helm will need to remember the importance of the Canadian workers that keep it moving.
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