LOCATION: National / Pacific Region
Issue/Source: N/A
Date: June 2025
Suggested Responses
- The government of Canada strongly believes in the importance of strategic investments in Canada’s ports that strengthen our trade competitiveness and create jobs for Canadians.
- This could include projects, such as the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion and dredging the Second Narrows channel, that will increase capacity at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest and busiest port – supporting the efficiency of our supply chains and economic growth across Canada.
IF PRESSED
- At the recent meeting in Saskatoon, First Ministers agreed that we must work urgently to get Canadian natural resources and commodities to domestic and international markets.
- The Government of Canada will work with the Port, the Province, municipal governments, industry and First Nations to advance economically critical projects at the Port of Vancouver, while respecting the rights of First Nations and protecting the environment.
- The Government of Canada’s approval of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion in 2023, subject to strict environmental conditions, is an example of this commitment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port in terms of cargo tonnage. In 2024 the Port of Vancouver handled 158 million tonnes of cargo and 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs) in containers representing $300 billion in goods - $1 out of every $3 of Canada’s trade in goods outside of North America. Over 132,000 jobs are supported by marine and port activities in Vancouver, generating approximately $9.3 billion in wages and $16.3 billion in annual economic impact.
Dredging in the Second Narrows Channel
- A proposal is under discussion for dredging to increase the width and depth of the Second Narrows channel in the Port of Vancouver, creating operational efficiencies for terminals operating east of Second Narrows, and particularly the Trans Mountain Corporation.
- The current width and depth of the Second Narrows channel creates limitations on the volume of crude that can be carried in oil tankers calling at Westridge Terminals resulting in tankers only being able to load to ~80%. Dredging could potentially allow tankers to pass through at 100% load capacity.
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Roberts Bank Terminal 2
- The VFPA has proposed a fifth marine container terminal, RBT2, which would be built on a new land mass and add approximately 2.4 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) of container capacity per year to the Port (once fully operational). The first phase of the project is scheduled to open in 2033.
- RBT2 remains a top priority for the Port and is intended to build resiliency in the supply chain; low- to medium-growth projections from 2020 suggest that a new terminal could be needed on the West Coast at some point between 2030 and 2040.
- RBT2 was approved in April 2023 subject to 370 environmental assessment conditions. The project also requires Species at Risk Act (SARA) compliant Fisheries Act authorization. The permitting process is the last significant hurdle for the project prior to advancing to a final investment decision (FID).
- RBT2 is a Privy Council Office (PCO) Clean Growth Project and the Federal Government is committed to securing permitting within two years and implicated departments are looking into how to move forward. The VFPA submitted its application for Fisheries Act authorization in Fall 2024.
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- The VFPA has secured consent from 27 First Nations through signed mutual benefit agreements that will provide economic benefits from the project’s delivery.
- The Port has publicly stated it issued a request for qualifications in July 2025 for a construction partner to deliver the landmass and wharf component