Thank you to Gary Kader for his letter and his specific recommendations for improving the safety of our highways.
SEE: Action needed now to make northern highways safe
I fully agree with his comments: companies must be held to account for the training of their drivers and the maintenance of their vehicles, and the Ministry of Transportation must take full responsibility for making sure that inspection and enforcement are taking place — something that is not happening currently.
He mentioned that I, along with Guy Bourgouin (MPP, Mushkegowuk-James Bay), both members of the official NDP opposition, have been raising the alarm about this issue, repeatedly, yet no action has been taken.
The reason is simple: the Conservatives have a majority government and are choosing to ignore these issues. Carolyn Mulroney, the previous Minister of Transportation and Prabmeet Sarkaria, the current Minister of Transportation keep repeating the same empty words: “We have the safest highways in North America”. Members of the NPD opposition, Truckers for Safer Highways, and many others such as Gary Kader, have been describing the problems, and proposing solutions, for years. People in the north know that our highways have gotten less and less safe ever since companies were allowed to do their own training without any accountability. The results have been disastrous.
I recommend that members of the public write letters to their local MPPs and to the Minister of Transportation, expressing your frustration at the Ford government’s refusal to act. Remember this issue at the ballot box in 2026 when you can elect a government that actually supports working people and not just conservative and liberal insider friends.
Lise Vaugeois
MPP Thunder Bay-Superior North
