UPDATE - Minister Alghabra announces new actions to ease supply chain regulations and make it easier to ship goods

WINNIPEG, MB, Oct. 13, 2022 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to streamline regulations across our supply chains to make it easier to ship goods to Canadians on time.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced how the Government of Canada is implementing $17 million over five years through several new initiatives that streamline regulations and reduce bureaucracy across our supply chains.

This commitment of $17 million was made in Budget 2022, and will go towards several new initiatives to make sure the rail, marine, and air modes of transportation work together more seamlessly to make it easier to ship goods by: 

• Amending the Canada Transportation Act to allow Transport Canada to offer digital service delivery to transportation operators across modes, saving time and money;
• Working towards a Maritime Single Window, a uniform system that would enable digital information exchange between all stakeholders regarding vessel arrivals, departures, and stays;
• Collaborating with industry to develop an approach to eliminate paperwork and shift to the use of electronic shipping documents for the transportation of dangerous goods via the road, rail, and air;
• Launching the Pre-load Air Cargo Targeting (PACT) to improve the security of air cargo through the supply chain.

Today's announcement is an early step towards addressing the recommendations identified in the National Supply Chain Task Force's final report released on October 6, 2022, particularly around modernizing transportation regulations. Together, these actions will make our supply chains moving efficiently, keep our economy competitive, and deliver essential goods to Canadians on time.

"As part of Supply Chain Week, today's announcement is about ensuring that goods are able to be shipped more easily to where they need to go by cutting red tape and streamlining regulations across our supply chain. Our government made a commitment in Budget 2022 to invest $17 million to streamline regulations across our supply chain, and that's exactly what we are doing through these new initiatives. This is a first step towards addressing the recommendations provided by the National Supply Chain Task Force in their final report to our Government, and we will continue to take steps to ease congestion and prevent disruptions across our supply chains."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport 

• Supply Chain Week builds on the National Supply Chain Summit held in January 2022, where a broad range of supply chain stakeholders discussed challenges, strategies, and next steps to enable a swift recovery of Canada's transportation supply chain.
  
  
• The Task Force's final contains recommendations on measures that could be considered by government to mitigate both the acute short-term challenges and chronic longer-term strategic issues confronting Canada's supply chain.
  
  
• An efficient and reliable transportation network is key to Canada's economic growth. The Government of Canada, through the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) and the Advancing Industry-Driven Digitalization of Canada's Supply Chain initiative, is making investments that will begin the process of enhancing support to the flow of goods across Canada's supply chains.

• Budget 2022 
• Supply Chain Task Force 
• January 2022 National Supply Chain Summit: What we heard report 
• Minister of Transport welcomes final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force
• Final Report of The National Supply Chain Task Force 2022

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons living with visual disabilities. 

SOURCE Transport Canada