27. PIC – Magdalen Islands Ferry Service

SUBJECT: ÎLES-DE-LA-MADELEINE – SOURIS FERRY SERVICE 

LOCATION: Cap-aux-Meules, Magdalen Islands, Quebec 

Issue/Source: Eastern Canada Ferry Services 

Date: July 2025 

Suggested Responses   

• Transport Canada understands the importance of ferry service to the remote community of the Magdalen Islands. It is an essential transportation link and the principal means of transporting people and goods between the archipelago and the rest of Canada. 

• The service is operated by the Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien (CTMA), a local cooperative, and carries approximately [ Redacted ] passengers per year. The service has an annual economic impact of over $ [ Redacted ] , which includes tourism, commercial and passenger traffic, and jobs created directly.  

• Between 2015-16 and 2023-24, Transport Canada provided nearly $190M to CTMA to run the service. The Department has also made other investments, including the acquisition of the MV Madeleine II and infrastructure investments at the Cap-aux-Meules and Souris ferry terminals. 

• In February 2025, the Government of Canada announced financial support to CTMA to operate a replacement vessel to ensure service continuity to the remote community when the MV Madeleine II undergoes planned maintenance. 

IF PRESSED (new ferry) 

• The timing of the new ferry for this service, the MV Jean-Lapierre, is being discussed within the context of the Government’s overall program of work and the timelines remain to be determined. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

• Through the Ferry Services Contribution Program, Transport Canada provides funding to private operators to support three interprovincial ferry services in Eastern Canada, including service between:  

• Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec and Souris, Prince Edward Island;  

• Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia; and  

• Saint John, New Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia.  

The vessels and terminals used to provide the services are owned by Transport Canada and are leased to the operators for a nominal amount. Transport Canada is also responsible for dredging. 

• The service is operated by the Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien (CTMA), a local cooperative, whose mission is to provide safe, reliable, courteous transportation of people and freight, while promoting social, economic and tourism growth in the Magdalen Islands.  

• The Îles-de-la-Madeleine - Souris service provides the main year-round transportation link for the approximately 13,000 residents of Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The service is an essential link for the remote community because there are no other regular maritime passenger links. The service has been operated by the CTMA since 1971.   

• The economic impact of the ferry service is more than [ Redacted ] per year, including tourism, commercial and passenger traffic, and direct employment. The ferry service carries approximately [ Redacted ] passengers per year. 

• Between 2015-16 and 2023-24, Transport Canada provided nearly $190M to the CTMA to operate the service. 

• In 2020, the Government of Canada announced that it would acquire the MV Madeleine II for approximately $155M to ensure safe and reliable service to the remote community of Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The vessel came into service in June 2021. 

• The Government has and continues to make investments in the ferry terminals in Cap-aux-Meules and Souris. For example, over the period of 2015-16 to 2024-25, Transport Canada invested nearly $60M in the terminals in Cap-aux-Meules and Souris.    

• In February of 2025, the Government announced financial support to the CTMA to operate a replacement vessel to ensure service continuity to the remote community of the Magdalen Islands when the MV Madeleine II undergoes planned maintenance. The next drydocking of the MV Madeleine II must be completed before April 2028. 

• With regard to the new ferries to be built at Chantier Davie, the MV Holiday Island replacement is expected to be first vessel built. The timing of the new ferry for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the MV Jean-Lapierre, is still being discussed within the context of the Government’s overall program of work with the shipyard. 

Table 1: Funding Provided to CTMA by Transport Canada  

Note: Amounts are based on the Public Accounts of Canada