By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--January 13, 2022
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UPDATE: Reinstated Trucker Vaccine Mandate For Truckers Coming Across The Border
Thank You Canadian Trucking Industry!
You were among the first—if not the first—to back the draconian Canadian Government down by allowing the free flow of goods over the American-Canadian border.
The News couldn’t be better!
Related: God Help the Millions Raising Families When Access to Food Runs Out
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had faced pressure from the main opposition party and trucking lobby to drop the vaccine mandate for truckers, due to come into force on Saturday, saying it could result in driver shortages, disrupt trade and drive up inflation."Not just “could” but “would”!
“The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said that unvaccinated, or partially vaccinated Canadian truck drivers arriving at the U.S.-Canada border will remain exempt from pre-arrival, arrival and post-arrival testing and quarantine requirements. (Reuters)But while the Canadian Border Services Agency has done the right thing, in the midst of President Joe Biden’s predicted “dark winter” of media-hyped Covid-19 death, truckers from the United States trying to deliver needed goods will “still need to be vaccinated or they will be turned back at the border from Jan. 15”, according to a CBSA spokesperson.
“A Canadian government source said the decision was taken to ensure smooth supply chains. “Trudeau's Liberal government had set the Saturday deadline requiring all truckers entering from the United States to show proof of vaccination as part of its fight against COVID-19. “With more than two-thirds of the C$650 billion ($511 billion) in goods traded annually between Canada and the United States travelling on roads, the trucking industry is key.”Not only “key” but vital. American Trucking Association chief economist Bob Costello estimates that just under half of the 28,000 U.S. drivers who regularly haul freight across the border will no longer be able to do so, posing a threat to the smooth supply of goods. (Global News, Jan. 12, 2022)
“The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) had estimated the government mandate could force some 16,000 cross-border drivers - 10 % of them - off the roads. (Reuters) “The mandate was the first policy measure taken since the pandemic began that could limit cross-border trucking traffic. Trucks crossed the border freely when the border was closed for 20 months because they were considered essential to keep supply chains open. “Supply chain disruptions drove Canada’s inflation to an 18-year high in November, and the Bank of Canada has signalled that it could raise interest rates as soon as April.
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“The cost of bringing a truckload of fruit and vegetables from California and Arizona to Canada doubled during the pandemic due to a driver shortage, Steve Bamford, chief executive of Bamford Produce, an importer and exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables based in Ontario told Reuters last week. “Fresh foods are sensitive to freight problems because they expire rapidly. “The Biden administration wants truck drivers at companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, a policy that has been challenged to the Supreme Court.”As far back as the settling of North America, aboriginals, settlers and seafarers alike knew the necessity of fresh fruit and vegetables in the human diet to ward off debilitating diseases such as Beriberi and Scurvy. Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency, also known as thiamine deficiency. It often occurs in developing countries among people with a diet that consists mostly of white rice or highly refined carbohydrates.
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