CIAC makes recommendations on state of Canada’s supply chain
April 07, 2022
On April 4, CIAC representatives shared recommendations with federally elected officials on the state of Canada’s supply chain. Bob Masterson, President and CEO, was joined by Kara Edwards, Director, Transportation as witnesses before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
In his opening remarks, Bob stressed the supply chain and transportation system needs to be safe, resilient, competitive and “most importantly much, much more reliable than it is today.” In a recent survey, 76 per cent of CIAC members said they had been negatively impacted by supply chain disruptions over the last year; 79 per cent said that shipping reliability has become a serious issue; and 55 per cent said they had lost sales in Canada and abroad.
He noted, “We have critical transportation infrastructure that is deeply constrained at existing volumes. We call on you as the federal government and the committee to take intentional and meaningful steps to grow our transportation infrastructure to ensure that these new products, that the world needs so much and that Canada will benefit from producing, can reach their intended customers.”
Mr. Masterson also stressed the importance of addressing the seemingly annual disruptions to the rail network – particularly those caused by labour disputes. CIAC recommendations included having rail deemed an essential service as well as various measures to enhance transparency, reliability, capacity, and resiliency in the supply chain. CIAC will continue to engage on supply chain issues and advocacy in a variety of forums in the upcoming months.