Ministers Alghabra, Bibeau, Champagne, Ng, O’Regan and Qualtrough hosted a National Summit to strengthen Canada’s supply chain

January 31, 2022 Ottawa Transport Canada

Global supply chains have been disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of climate change. Ensuring that Canadians are able to put food on their tables and buy the goods and other critical supplies they need is a top priority for the Government of Canada.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, the Honourable Mary Ng, the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, hosted a National Supply Chain Summit.

This Summit brought together business and industry leaders and associations to discuss the challenges facing Canada's supply chain and to identify potential solutions to ensure that what Canadians need reach their households as quickly as possible. A well-functioning supply chain supports good, middle-class jobs and keeps goods moving to Canadians.

Participants for this initial event included a broad representation of Canadian organizations including business associations, manufacturers, exporters associations, as well as chief executive officers of railway, marine, air, trucking and retail companies.

Ministers also announced that over the coming weeks, this Summit will be followed by a series of regional and industry sessions to continue the dialogue.

To further advance this work, a new Supply Chain Task Force will be created. The Task Force will consult with industry experts to make recommendations regarding short and long-term actions pertaining to Canada's supply chain. In addition, Transport Canada will make available an online portal for stakeholders and businesses to be able to provide opinions and suggestions.

Today, Minister Alghabra announced a new, $50 million targeted call for proposals under the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) to immediately relieve supply chain congestion at Canadian ports, for example by increasing their storage capacity.

Budget 2021 also provided an additional $1.9 billion over four years to recapitalize the National Trade Corridor Fund that makes our supply chain more efficient and supports our economic recovery.