Quebec is looking for ways to ease gas-price burden on truckers

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Thursday, Sep. 21, 2000

September 21, 2000 Bouchard says Quebec is looking for ways to ease gas-price burden on truckers

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. (CP) -- Premier Lucien Bouchard said Thursday his government is trying to find a way to ease the burden of current high gas prices on truckers. "It's not an easy problem," said Bouchard, who refused to spell out the form of any possible aid.

"We've already made a slight change: people who have contracts with the government receive subsidies that enable them to cope better with the (gas) price increases. "In the case of the truckers, we'll see what we can do. We're looking into it," said Bouchard. But he suggested motorists shouldn't expect any across-the-board cut in Quebec's gas taxes. "We don't want to side with the (oil) cartel, with the people who limited production to boost prices artificially. Quebecers' taxes don't go into the cartel's pocket."

Bouchard said when Quebec lowered gas taxes some years ago, the oil companies quickly adjusted prices and grabbed the savings that had been meant for consumers.

Quebec does not want to "give in to the cartel," said Bouchard, who argued the gas tax is legitimate. "You decide how much gas you use and how much tax you pay

http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Bouchard-Gas-Prices.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 21, 2000

Answers

"...higher prices for consumers...."

Canoe

Thursday, September 21, 2000

Nfld. truckers agree to boost shipping costs To cover rising cost of fuel By MICHAEL MACDONALD -- The Canadian Press

ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (CP) -- The Newfoundland trucking industry, thwarted in its bid to push for lower provincial fuel taxes, has devised a plan to combat soaring diesel costs that could serve as a model for the rest of the country.

Under the plan, groups representing independent truckers and the carriers that employ them agreed Thursday that shippers should be charged more to cover the rising cost of fuel.

A surcharge of 10.51 per cent will be added to the cost of all full-load shipments while smaller loads will now cost 6.22 per cent more. The new rates, which replace a hodgepodge of different charges, will fluctuate with the price of diesel.

"This is a step in the right direction," said David Cook, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Independent Truckers' Association.

"As a consequence of this very positive step, we have asked our industry to carry on as usual."

That means Newfoundland truckers are less likely to set up blockades this weekend if independent truckers in Ontario follow through on their threat to park their rigs on some of the country's busiest highways.

Cook said most of the truckers he's talked to have said they aren't eager to stop working. However, Cook's association is only six months old and it doesn't speak for all truckers in the province.

"There's no doubt that if Ontario goes out ... that it's going to have a tremendous impact on the rest of the country," Cook said.

"We're very concerned about that. ... We're asking everybody to keep on trucking here."

The new surcharge plan, which is based on a similar system in the Maritimes, will result in higher prices for consumers, Cook added.

But that would be preferable to the traffic chaos that ensued earlier this year when truckers in several provinces set up blockades to draw attention to the skyrocketing price of diesel, he said.

"We feel this is the way to go on this issue," said Gerry Dowden, head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Carriers' Association. "We want it to be known that neither the carriers nor the independent truckers association will sanction any protest over the weekend."

In Toronto, an independent truckers group said it was feeling optimistic following a meeting with Al Palladini, Ontario's economic development minister.

However, Bill Wellman of the Independent Truckers Association refused to speculate on whether the truckers will follow through on their threats.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 21, 2000.


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