OTTAWA – Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville - Wainwright, was very pleased to see this week’s Conservative budget reflect changes that he has worked on for years.

“In 1995, the Liberal government, in an attempt to slash and cut spending, did so irresponsibly in many instances, and one of those was on the backs of truckers,” explains Benoit. “That government reduced the ability of long haul truck drivers to claim a per diem for their meals.”

“Canada’s economy depends on the trucking sector to function effectively,” says Benoit, who has been working with truckers and the industry for years to try to resolve this inequity. He was glad to see that his colleague, the Finance Minister, was willing to act.

As the Budget documents confirm, increasing demand for highly skilled truck drivers and a rapidly aging workforce are raising concerns that Canada may be facing a shortage of qualified truck drivers. According to a study conducted by the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council, the trucking industry currently needs some 38,000 new drivers annually. In order to provide better recognition of the significant meal expenses incurred by long-haul truck drivers while on the road, Budget 2007 proposes to increase, over a period of five years, the share of meal expenses that truckers* can deduct for tax purposes from 50 per cent to 80 per cent.

“The trucking industry asked us to look at it,” states Benoit. “They made it clear that truckers just wanted fair treatment and they simply asked the government to look at it. We did and this weeks’ Budget more than delivered. The people of Alberta and the trucking industry across Canada will benefit from this.”

“Everybody wants to talk about what budgets do for people,” concludes Benoit. “If we allow people to have the money to make their own financial decisions at the end of the day, that is the sign of a good budget.”
*This measure will apply to both long-haul truck drivers who are employees and long-haul truck drivers who are self-employed. For more information on this provision of Budget 2007, see pages 396, 449 and 460 of the federal budget document.

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