Transportation and highway safety priorities took center stage at the recent annual meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for transportation and highway safety.

Co-chaired by Canada's Minister of Transport, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, and the Minister of Infrastructure for the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Caroline Wawzonek, the meeting convened on February 23 to address critical issues concerning the safety and efficiency of Canada's transportation networks.

In a proactive move to address safety concerns surrounding carriers operating in British Columbia under out-of-province safety certificates, the BCTA is urging Federal Transport Minister Rodriguez to step in. The current regulatory framework poses significant challenges to ensuring road safety, especially when carriers exploit jurisdictional gaps to avoid enforcement measures. In a formal letter to the Federal Transport Minister, the BCTA stressed the urgent need for government action to address these safety regulation gaps.

Citing Section 5 of Canada's Transportation Act, which promotes a national transportation system adhering to high safety standards, BCTA emphasized the importance of collaboration between federal authorities, provincial governments, territories, and industry stakeholders. The goal is to revamp the decentralized safety certificate model.

Our key demand is for the government to lead the development of a federally managed national safety code system for extra-provincial carriers. This initiative aims to simplify safety protocols, close regulatory loopholes, and empower authorities with better oversight to mitigate risks associated with non-compliant carriers.

The urgency of this call to action is highlighted by recent directives from Ministers, tasking the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) to examine the shortcomings of the current safety certificate model. The CCMTA is tasked with finding solutions to address the continued operation of carriers with a history of safety violations across multiple jurisdictions.