Transport Canada to Launch C$136MM Digital Infrastructure Initiative for Supply Chains
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra
The government of Canada intends to launch the C$136 million Advancing Industry-Driven Digitalization of Canada’s Supply Chain initiative to “improve the efficiency and resiliency of Canada’s supply chain,” Transport Canada announced on Oct. 14.
The initiative, which is being funded through Budget 2022 to develop digital solutions and optimize Canada’s supply chains, includes:
- Making it easier to plan and coordinate transportation activities to alleviate bottlenecks, reduce congestion and be more resilient to disruptions by collecting and sharing data and analytics in real time.
- Supporting industry-driven approaches to digital solutions, especially in the areas of data collection, coordination, and improving the visibility of the transportation network for carriers, shippers and governments.
- Supporting evidence-based decision-making to further optimize existing networks and better plan infrastructure investments.
- Working with industry to optimize trade corridors and gateways across Canada, such as the Pacific Gateway and the Windsor-Quebec trade corridor.
The Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra also announced that Transport Canada will soon launch a new Call for Proposals under the National Trade Corridors Fund to support projects that strengthen Canada’s digital infrastructure.
Altogether, these investments, Transport Canada says, “will help establish a strong foundation on which to advance the National Supply Chain Task Force recommendations to digitalize and create end-to-end supply chain visibility in Canada’s supply chain network.”
Because of the “importance and urgency of making Canada’s largest Pacific Gateway more efficient,” Transport Canada says it is also convening supply chain leaders from the railways, shippers, shipping industry, labor, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the technology sector, to “develop and implement digital solutions that will make the gateway operate more efficiently.” “The Government of Canada will continue to collaborate with supply partners to ensure essential transportation networks and supply chains remain competitive and make Canada a trade partner of choice,” Transport Canada reported.
By improving the digitalization of its supply chains, the Government of Canada says it is “ensuring that those who export products from Canada can do so more efficiently and reliably, which will help middle class Canadians by providing jobs and making life more affordable.”
“Supply chain resiliency, efficiency and reliability is a priority for our government,” said Alghabra. “That’s why today’s announcement is so important to ensure that essential goods and critical supplies are accessible to Canadians. We will enable our supply chains to have the digital infrastructure needed to continue to be more efficient and resilient for years to come, which are vital to growing a strong economy.”
