Transport Ministers Target Carriers That Hop Between Provinces
At their February 2025 meeting, Canada's transportation ministers heard CCMTA recommendations on carriers that keep operating after being barred elsewhere.
In February 2025, Canada's federal, provincial and territorial transportation ministers took up the problem of motor carriers that keep running in one jurisdiction after another has barred them. The issue was on the agenda at the annual meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety in Québec City. The council's communiqué, dated February 21, 2025, said the meeting was co-chaired by federal Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand and Québec Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault.
Safety fitness certificates under review
In 2024, ministers had asked the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) to analyze the challenges in the current model for issuing Safety Fitness Certificates to commercial motor carriers, and to find ways to strengthen it.
At the February meeting, the CCMTA presented its findings and recommendations. These focused on carriers with problematic safety records, especially those that continue to operate from one province or territory to another despite being prohibited from doing so by another jurisdiction.
According to the communiqué, the CCMTA planned two next steps:
- improving the exchange of data between governments;
- completing reviews of key sections of the National Safety Code.
The communiqué did not publish the recommendations themselves or set a timeline.
A trucking pilot for internal trade
Ministers also discussed the Internal Trade Mutual Recognition Trucking Pilot Initiative. Under it, the federal, provincial and territorial governments committed to explore ways to reduce regulatory barriers and to make the movement of goods smoother. The communiqué did not name specific rules that would be covered.
Cross-border trade and infrastructure
Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the Canada-United States transportation relationship to trade across North America. They discussed priorities with the United States, including stronger supply chains and better security for cross-border transportation and trade.
Provincial and territorial ministers pressed the federal government to do more to support their transport infrastructure priorities, including roads. The federal minister acknowledged the need for more investment and undertook to report their requests to her cabinet colleagues.
Other items on the agenda
The communiqué also covered several non-trucking topics:
- findings from pilot projects on seatbelts on school buses, with an agreement to publish the results and guidelines on their use;
- an agreement to share tools and best practices for responding to transportation disruptions caused by extreme weather;
- closer collaboration on the cyber security of transportation infrastructure as artificial intelligence develops;
- continued joint work against auto theft.
Ontario sat out
A footnote stated that Ontario was not a party to the communiqué because the province was in an election period.
Archive: this article describes rules and events as of February 2025. Regulations may have changed since, so check the current rule before relying on it.