New report maps out a national trade infrastructure plan for Canada
A recent report by the Canada West Foundation, funded in part by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), looks at the importance of scaling up Canada’s trade infrastructure to fuel economic growth and improve the everyday lives of Canadians.
Shovel ready to shovel worthy: The path to a national trade infrastructure plan identifies how the lack of coordinated and strategic infrastructure planning and investments has threatened Canada’s status as a trusted global trading partner.
The report contains data that reveals:
- From 2009 to 2019, confidence in our infrastructure fell from 10th to 26th globally.
- 90 per cent of Canadian executives said aging supply chain infrastructure and insufficient capacity were the top challenges in our transportation industry.
- Compared to the U.S. and China, international investor confidence in Canada has steeply declined.
While 65 per cent of Canada’s GDP relies on international trade, the federal government is only investing 0.9 per cent of it – $21 billion annually – in transport infrastructure.
It is vital that we move from quick fixes to a strategy that focuses on long-term solutions and value for Canadians. Scaling up our trade infrastructure can build supply chain capacity, support green innovation and emerging technologies, create transformational jobs, and fuel our global competitiveness.
The report charts a path forward that includes identifying Canada’s key trade gateways and corridors and establishing a national body to ensure that key partners, including industry, are consulted so that all possible best practices and expertise are considered when making future investments.
These recommendations reaffirm CCA’s position that future investments must be coherent, long-term, and guided by an independent body that can align federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous needs. Procurement methods must also be streamlined and modernized through the engagement of industry experts.
While serious gaps have been identified in this report, the construction industry is ready to partner with government and position Canada for future growth and prosperity.