The Canadian Trucking Alliance

Who does it represent?

Part 1: The Canadian Trucking Alliance: Who does it represent?
Part 2: The Manitoba Trucking Association: Who's actually a member?
Part 3: How Lobbyists Failed Truckers
Part 4: Repeated Requests for More Time Ignored

While the Freedom Convoy was en route and then in Ottawa, journalists repeatedly told the public the protest had been condemned by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). The implication was that the truckers were marginal, unreasonable voices. Even their own organization had disavowed them.

But here’s what those journalists failed to mention. The CTA does not speak for truck drivers. It is a federation of provincial trucking associations. The Atlantic association tells us: “We network, advocate and lobby” (bold here and below added by me). The Manitoba association says: “We are, first and foremost, an advocacy group working on behalf of the trucking industry.” The Alberta association was “formed to provide a voice for the highway transportation industry” (all quotes from here).

The CTA is an umbrella group of lobbyists. Individual truck drivers are not members of the CTA. Individual truck drivers are not members of the provincial associations, either.

So who are those members? Let’s use the Manitoba Trucking Association as a case study. Currently, 295 entities are listed on its website. Less than half of them (135 or 46%) are “carriers” - meaning they have trucks on the road.

Carriers such as Bison Transport and Manitoulin Transport are no surprise. But Sobeys also gets counted as a carrier, even though it’s a grocer. The same is true of Maple Leaf Foods, Old Dutch Foods, and Pepsico Beverages (Pepsi).

Bottom line:

1. The Canadian Trucking Alliance is a collection of provincial lobby groups.

2. Companies join these lobby groups - not individuals.

3. Amongst those that own fleets of trucks, we find large corporations whose primary business is not trucking.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance does not speak for truck drivers.

Part 2: The Manitoba Trucking Association: Who’s actually a member?