Supply chain resilience requires investment in trade corridors and climate change infrastructure

The efficiency of Canada’s supply chain is essential to our economy. In the last two years, we know that ports of entry across the country have been impacted by global supply chain issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact has been significant, prompting Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, to organize a National Supply Chain Summit that brought together industry partners to discuss the key challenges and strategies related to our supply chains. Investing in trade corridors and hubs is clearly essential to our country’s overall economic recovery and it will require a concerted and joint effort by all stakeholders to get it done. Compounding the challenges currently brought on by the pandemic, Canada must also contend with the threat to our supply chain infrastructure posed by climate change. Not only does this require a significant emphasis on disaster mitigation and climate change adaption, but also, and simultaneously, unprecedented efforts to transform the transportation sector. This is no small task, with GHG emissions in the transport sector accounting for roughly 25 per cent of Canada’s total emissions. No small task, but necessary, as the impacts of climate change have become all too real, and all too costly. The floods and wildfires we saw in British Columbia for example, underscored just how vulnerable our transportation infrastructure is to extreme weather, and the necessity of keeping these networks resilient to climate change so that essential goods can reach Canadian families. Since 2015, we’ve taken a significant and multi-faceted approach to address these challenges. To build stronger and more climate responsive infrastructure, we provided over $2-billion in funding to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation fund (DMAF) and made the program more accessible to smaller, more remote communities. We have also made unprecedented investments aimed at reducing pollution across the different modes of transportation, starting on the road. With half of all emissions from transportation coming from cars and trucks, we launched the Incentives for Zero-Emissions Vehicles (iZEV) Program in 2019, providing Canadians a rebate of up to $5,000 for choosing an electric vehicle, which can also be combined with provincial rebates. We also committed $1.5-billion to get 5,000 electric transit buses on the road in the coming years and accelerate charging infrastructure across Canada. To curb the impact of aviation on climate change, we launched the Canada Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aviation. The goal is to reduce emissions by two per cent per year by upgrading and renewing air fleets, creating more efficient air operations, and improving capabilities in air traffic management. Alongside our international partners, Canada has signed the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition declaration at the most recent COP26 Summit, which includes a commitment to work together to advance ambitious actions to reduce pollution in the aviation sector. Canada has also signed on to the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) through the International Civilian Aviation Organization. Our participation in CORSIA will help to manage and lower pollution across the international aviation industry to make international travel safe for us and our environment. In the rail sector, we’re advancing the development of high frequency rail (HFR), which is, and will continue to transform rail travel in Ontario and Quebec while contributing to the reduction of pollution. And in the marine sector, we’re protecting our oceans through initiatives like Active Vessel Traffic Management to ensure more efficient vessel calls, as well as reducing unnecessary transits back and forth from anchorage. The important work being done right now to meet the supply chain challenges posed by the global pandemic are key for Canada’s short-term economic security, but even more so, the work undertaken since 2015 to combat climate change will be key in protecting our supply chains and keeping our economy strong for the next generation of Canadians. This work is not yet done, but we’ll keep moving forward to obtain a zero-emission future. Liberal MP Peter Schiefke was first elected as a Member of Parliament by the citizens of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Que., in October 2015. He currently serves as the chairperson of the House Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. The Hill Times

Supply chain resilience requires investment in trade corridors and climate change infrastructure

Investing in trade corridors and hubs is essential to Canada's overall economic recovery.

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Supply chain resilience requires investment in trade corridors and climate change infrastructure

Investing in trade corridors and hubs is essential to Canada's overall economic recovery.

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