What Committees Heard: A System Unravels
From national defence to the trucking industry, experts are telling parliamentary committees that long-standing, systemic problems are reaching a breaking point across Canada.
On Parliament Hill, a clear and troubling theme emerged. Across a wide range of policy files, committee after committee heard testimony from experts, advocates, and front-line workers all delivering the same core message: critical systems are failing. Witnesses described deep, structural problems that have been allowed to fester for years, often due to a lack of political will, flawed policy, or simple neglect. The picture that emerged was not one of isolated issues, but of a system under immense strain, where the gap between government policy and on-the-ground reality has become a chasm.
National Security at Risk
The Standing Committee on National Defence heard dire warnings about Canada’s readiness to face modern military threats. The conversation focused on the modernization of NORAD, and the testimony was stark. Jean-Pierre Hickey, a professor specializing in hypersonic aerodynamics, told the committee that Canada is dangerously unprepared for the threat of hypersonic weapons, which are already being used in conflicts like the one in Ukraine.
What does this actually mean? Hypersonic missiles travel at extreme speeds while maneuvering unpredictably, making them nearly impossible for our current radar systems to track or intercept. As Professor Hickey explained, Canada has no specialized facilities to test or study these technologies, leaving us without the ability to understand the threat, model trajectories, or identify their signatures in order to defend against them. While allies like the U.S. and Australia, and adversaries like China and Russia, are investing heavily in this area, Canada’s talent base is “thin” and we lack a coordinated national strategy.
Professor Robert Huebert from the University of Calgary put the situation in even graver terms, stating that Canada now faces an “existential threat” of becoming engaged in a nuclear war if its deterrent systems are not maintained. He argued that the old policy of mutually assured destruction is no longer a reliable deterrent. Instead, Canada and its allies must now demonstrate a credible “war-fighting capability in a nuclear environment” to prevent adversaries from ever starting a conflict in the first place.
A Crisis on Canada’s Roads
The Standing Committee on Transport heard that Canada’s trucking industry is in a full-blown crisis, fueled by an illegal business model known as “Driver Inc.” Witnesses described a scheme that is causing “carnage on our highways” and robbing social programs of billions of dollars.
So, what is Driver Inc.? It’s a practice where trucking companies misclassify their employee drivers as independent contractors by having them incorporate. Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, called it a “well-thought-out scam” that allows unethical companies to dodge payroll taxes, EI, and CPP contributions, giving them a cost advantage of up to 30%.
The human cost of this model is staggering. Shelley Walker of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada described how vulnerable drivers, often newcomers, are lured into exploitative arrangements that amount to “debt bondage in motion”. They have their passports withheld and are trapped by phantom fees and threats.
This isn’t just a labour or tax issue; it’s a massive public safety problem. Witnesses testified that these drivers often receive dangerously inadequate training. Ken Adams, from the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario, said some get a full license after a “weekend” of training to operate an 80,000-pound truck. Steve Bourgeois, a certified trainer, stated that some drivers can’t read road signs and operate without proper licenses or insurance. The result? A 35% increase in fatalities from truck accidents in Quebec between 2023 and 2024, and professional drivers who are now afraid to drive on major highways like Highway 11/17 in Northern Ontario.
Despite sounding the alarm since 2018, industry leaders told the committee that the problem has been “left to grow unchecked” due to a lack of political will to enforce existing laws.
Gaps in Justice and Public Safety
The theme of long-standing failure was front and centre at two other committees examining justice and public safety.
First, the Auditor General, Andrew Hayes, told the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs that the First Nations and Inuit policing program is plagued by “critical shortcomings”. His 2024 audit found that many of the same problems identified in a 2014 audit remain unaddressed. The program’s policy hasn’t been updated since 1996. Public Safety Canada failed to work in partnership with communities, did not distribute funds equitably, and left almost $48 million in approved funding unspent in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights heard a perspective on Canada’s bail system that challenges the dominant political narrative. Legal experts argued that the system is not lenient; in fact, it is the “harshest it has ever been”. Dr. Nicole Myers, a criminologist at Queen’s University, noted that 76% of the provincial jail population is now in remand, meaning they are legally innocent and awaiting trial. Both Dr. Myers and lawyer Michael Spratt explained that the real problems are systemic: long delays just to get a bail hearing, a lack of community supports for those released, and “inhumane” conditions in remand centres that make people more likely to reoffend. Boris Bytensky, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, stated that adding more “reverse-onus” provisions doesn’t lead to more detentions, it just leads to “slower bail cases”.
Policy with a Human Cost
Finally, several committees heard how policy decisions, even well-intentioned ones, are having negative and sometimes dangerous real-world consequences.
At the Finance Committee, disability advocates explained a critical flaw in Bill C-4, an affordability bill. Krista Carr of Inclusion Canada and Amanda MacKenzie of March of Dimes Canada testified that the bill’s proposed income tax cut will unintentionally reduce the value of the disability tax credit. How? The value of this non-refundable credit is calculated using the lowest tax rate. As the rate drops from 15% to 14%, so does the value of the support for nearly one million Canadians with disabilities. They are asking the committee to amend the bill to adjust the base amount of the credit, ensuring that a general tax cut doesn’t effectively become a targeted cut to disability supports.
At the Veterans Affairs Committee, witnesses discussing suicide prevention pointed to critical gaps in the support system. Oliver Thorne of the Veterans Transition Network revealed that the funding approval rate for Veterans Affairs clients to attend their specialized group counselling programs has fallen by over 60% in the last 10 years. Case managers cite complex and time-consuming approval processes, meaning at-risk veterans are not getting timely access to care that could save their lives.
Even parliamentary functions are at risk. The Official Languages Committee heard from interpreters who warned that new government procurement rules, which prioritize the “lowest price” for freelance interpreters, will inevitably degrade the quality of interpretation. This, they argued, threatens the principle of equality between French and English in Parliament.
The Data Brief
Existential Threat: Experts warn Canada lacks the capacity to defend against modern hypersonic weapons and must demonstrate a credible nuclear war-fighting capability to maintain deterrence.
Crisis on the Roads: The “Driver Inc.” model in trucking is enabling widespread tax evasion, labour exploitation, and dangerous safety practices, with governments failing to enforce existing laws.
Systemic Failures in Policing: The federal program for Indigenous policing has not been updated in nearly 30 years and has failed to act on key recommendations made over a decade ago, leaving millions in funding unspent.
Bail System Gridlock: Legal experts argue the bail system is overly punitive, not lenient, and that court delays and inhumane remand conditions are the true systemic problems.
Unintended Consequences: A proposed income tax cut in Bill C-4 will reduce the value of the disability tax credit, making some of the most vulnerable Canadians financially worse off.
Veterans at Risk: Bureaucratic hurdles at Veterans Affairs are preventing at-risk veterans from accessing specialized mental health programs, with funding approvals dropping significantly over the past decade.
Source Documents
Standing Committee on National Defence. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 006. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. (2025, October 8). Evidence, Number 004. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 006. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Official Languages. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 003. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 005. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Finance. (2025, October 8). Evidence, Number 006. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 009. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. (2025, October 6). Evidence, Number 005. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.
Standing Committee on Public Accounts. (2025, October 7). Evidence, Number 008. 45th Parliament, 1st Session.