Considering the chaos caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariffs, now is the right time to endorse a blueprint for long-term strategic investment in Canadian trade infrastructure, according to a coalition of national leaders from construction and other industries.
With interprovincial barriers under pressure and global competition intensifying, the leaders have sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling on him to endorse a Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan (CTIP) and pursue gateways and corridors to get goods to market more easily.
Jeff Griffiths, director of research at the Canada West Foundation (CWF), which is part of the coalition, says various industries have been promoting the idea for some time now but in light of the recent developments and talk of national infrastructure projects, it is time to take action.
“There seems to be more momentum to actually do something about it now than there has ever been in many, many years,” he says. “Is now the time? Well, the best time would have been earlier but it’s better now than later.
Even if Canada creates new markets and there’s an uptick in demand for products, there is simply not enough physical infrastructure capacity to get the materials to ports via roads and rail and process the goods at the docks, then load it onto ships and send overseas, says Griffiths.
“If you can’t move it, you can’t sell it. There’s a lot of moving parts to the problem.”
Canada needs a proper national strategy that lays out an efficient network of trade infrastructure to get goods to domestic and international markets and support trade-based growth, he says, “not something that’s inflicted on the provinces by Ottawa, not something that’s driven from one province, but something that’s an actual strategy, that’s beyond politics and brings various levels of governments and brings First Nations and everybody to the table.
“We need multi-levels of government and industry sitting down and figuring out what needs to get built, figuring out what a realistic timeline is to do that, and sitting down and working through all of those messy details, and sooner rather than later. You can’t wait another 10 years.”
In addition to the CWF, the coalition of leaders includes the Canadian Construction Association, Western Canada Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, the Civil Infrastructure Council Corporation, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
In their letter, the coalition notes Canada is facing unprecedented challenges that must be met with focus and determination. The organizations welcomed Carney’s acknowledgement Canada must build an enormous amount of new trade infrastructure at speeds not seen in generations.
The organizations say they came together two years ago to advocate for a CTIP because they were cognizant of the inadequacy of Canada’s trade infrastructure and of the fact that, among trade competitors, only Canada lacks coherent, long-term trade infrastructure planning.
“With unprecedented trade threats facing our country and momentum finally building to reduce long-standing interprovincial trade barriers, the time to act is now,” the coalition states.
In a July 12, 2023 communiqué, premiers unanimously endorsed the principles of the CTIP. Meanwhile, a 2023 Ipsos survey also indicated more than nine in 10 Canadians in every province agree Canadian governments and industry need to work together to create a long-term national plan to invest in building and maintaining trade infrastructure.
More recently, a statement issued following a First Ministers meeting in June acknowledged nation-building infrastructure and corridors were critical to drive Canada’s economy forward.
The organizations maintain infrastructure should support trade diversification and shield Canada’s economy from reliance on any single market and restore the nation’s reputation as a reliable trading partner and desirable market in which to invest.
Griffiths says Canada was a country that took on large projects like building the TransCanada Mainline in the 1950s, and the Trans-Canada Highway in the 1960s, but for some reason that stopped.
“It’s always easier to kick it down the road than do things.”
Constant turnover of federal and provincial governments over the years also stymied long-term planning, he says, as 25-year plans and funding are necessary to get big projects built.
Canada needs better roads, ports and rail infrastructure, Griffiths notes.
For example, most non-oil and gas exports from Western Canada go through the Port of Vancouver, but in 2022 it was ranked 347th out of 348 in global container port performance in a World Bank and S&P report.
“We don’t really have any strategic vision on how to create really smooth and efficient movement of goods in and out of the country,” he says. “It’s a strategic issue. We are one of the only countries on the planet that doesn’t have a national plan around strategic infrastructure.”
