NATIONAL TRADE CORRIDORS FUND
-
The National Trade Corridors Fund is a $4.3 billion trade-enabling infrastructure program that helps infrastructure owners and users to invest in the critical assets that support economic activity and the physical movement of goods and people in Canada.
-
In the 2025-26 Main Estimates, this program has planned spending authorities of approximately $842M which is predominately for transfer payments ($825M out of the $842M).
-
In the 2024-25 Main Estimates, the program had planned spending authorities of approximately $891M which was also principally for transfer payments ($874.5M out of the $891M).
-
The decrease between the Main Estimates is predominately to match recipient cash requirements.
-
To date, the Government of Canada has committed $4.1 billion in federal funding for 214 projects across the country, leveraging total investments of approximately $10.5 billion.
SUPPLEMENTARY MESSAGES
- The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program that helps fund projects and activities that strengthen the efficiency and resilience of national trade corridors.
-
The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that our supply chains are efficient and reliable to help create middle-class jobs and help build an economy that works for everyone, as well as to ensure that Canadians have timely access to affordable goods.
- Through the National Trade Corridors Fund, Transport Canada is supporting improvements to Canada’s roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
UPDATE
Since the program’s launch in 2017, the National Trade Corridors Fund program has completed seven calls for project proposals: First National, Northern, Continuous, Arctic and Northern, Increasing the Fluidity of Canada’s Supply Chains, Relieving Supply Chain Congestion at Canadian Ports and Advancing Supply Chain Digitalization.
SUPPORTING FACTS AND FIGURES
-
The Government has committed $4.1 billion in funding for 214 projects across the country, leveraging total investments of approximately $10.5 billion.
-
To date, 59 National Trade Corridors Fund supported projects have been completed.
BACKGROUND
Established in 2017, with a plan to invest $1.9 billion over 11 years, including $400 million to address urgent transportation needs in the territories, funding was accelerated in 2018 to support the Export Diversification Strategy to diversify Canada’s trade to overseas markets.
Budget 2019 committed an additional $400 million for the Arctic and Northern regions, increasing the total National Trade Corridors Fund funding envelope to $2.3 billion.
Budget 2021 provided the National Trade Corridors Fund with an additional $1.9 billion over four years, increasing the National Trade Corridors Fund funding envelope to $4.2 billion, to spur investments in much-needed enhancements to Canada’s roads, rail, and shipping routes, build long-term resilience for the Canadian economy, and support internal and international trade.
Budget 2022 provided the National Trade Corridors Fund with an additional $450 million over five years, as well as $56 million in dedicated funding for the Advancing Industry-Driven Digitalization of Canada’s Supply Chain initiative, to increase the focus on supporting supply chain issues to help ease the movement of goods across Canada’s transportation networks.
ATIP-PROTECTED BACKGROUND
Budget 2023 included the Realignment of Previously Announced Spending measure, which reduced $76 million from the National Trade Corridors Fund’s 2023-24 funding envelope. The department has identified a $89.6 million reduction as part of a budget review exercise stemming from Budget 2023. Finally, the program’s budget was further reduced by $159.5 million through a partially denied 2024-25 Annual Reference Level Update request.