Massive dump truck rally drives through Quebec City
Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
cassandra@qctonline.com
On May 14, over 2,500 dump trucks rolled into Quebec City to demonstrate against the most recent changes to Bill 62, giving more flexibility to Quebec companies to hire truckers from outside the province. Quebec truckers worry they may lose contracts, especially in the current hard economic times.
The truckers were rallying against the recent modifications to Bill 62, an act mainly to diversify the acquisition strategies of public bodies and offer them greater agility in carrying out their infrastructure projects, adopted by the National Assembly on Oct. 8, 2024. It is meant to improve project performance and provide better services at lower cost.
After seven months of following these modifications, the Association nationale des camionneurs artisans (ANCAI) and its members and its members, who were gathered at an annual assembly in Chicoutimi earlier this month, voted to rally in Quebec City to protest the legislative changes.
Over 2,500 of the 5,200 members of the ANCAI answered the call and drove into town, creating traffic disruptions all day, particularly on Pont Pierre-Laporte, Autoroute Henri-IV, Boul. Charest Est, Ave Saint-Sacrement, Boul. Wilfrid-Hamel and Autoroute Laurentienne. Several Quebec government departments and agencies encouraged their employees based in the capital to work from home. When drivers stuck to alternative routes, driving around town was manageable. It was quite a sight to see the long line of dump trucks with passing drivers honking in support.
In preparation for the rally, city crews blocked both ends of the street in front of the National Assembly, forcing trucks to line up along Boul. René-Lévesque from Boul. Honoré-Mercier to the Grand Théâtre. In abnormally warm, sunny weather, truckers came prepared for a long day. The Sûreté du Québec and the Service de police de la Ville de Québec were both advised of the rally and its route and helped redirect traffic.
Everything went peacefully and according to plan. “We didn’t want to make too much noise or disturbance because we are not associated with — nor do we want to be assumed that we are with — the convoy truckers of the last major strike that took over Quebec City and Ottawa,” said ANCAI director general Gaétan Légaré. “We don’t want to take the city hostage. We just want to demonstrate that we mean business, which is why we asked our drivers to stick to one lane on the roads and not to honk their horns.”