Mr. Chairman, I understand that this issue has been raised before. The department has been looking at it since 1992 when Mrs. Marie-Jewell raised the issue. The department has checked with other provincial jurisdictions. It is our understanding that no jurisdiction in Canada, at the present time, prohibits the movement of tractor-trailer transports on Sundays or on the weekend, as I think the honourable Member is perhaps suggesting. The province of Ontario, at one time, had a Sunday-ban on what they called the Lord's Day Act. The ban was struck down in 1984 on constitutional grounds and the province of Ontario has made no attempt to reintroduce the ban. It is the position of the department, that given the amount of long distance hauling in the north, a Sunday or a weekend restriction on truck traffic would be very disruptive in the scheduling of deliveries. At this time, from the work we have done, there is no jurisdiction in Canada that restricts this. The road system is slightly different, I suspect, in most of the provinces because it is hard-topped. I suspect the difficulties which are encountered in our highways are significantly different than the QEW in Ontario or the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. However, there is no legislation as such that would restrict or ban major transportation.
John Todd on Bill 17: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1993-94
In the Legislative Assembly on March 9th, 1993. See this statement in context.
Bill 17: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1993-94
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
March 8th, 1993
Page 822
John Todd Keewatin Central
See context to find out what was said next.