The Canada Transportation Act Review Secretariat has initiated a programme of research based on the Terms of Reference and other issues identified through early consultations with stakeholders.
To the extent possible, the Review will develop evidence-based recommendations based on current statistics, and forecasts of likely scenarios for the future (i.e., 20-30 years). The list below represents key themes around which specific research activities are expected to be conducted and/or led by the Secretariat or by stakeholders. Stakeholders are invited to submit proposals for research that could augment this information.
This list may be updated as the Review progresses.
Potential Research Issues
Canada’s Trade, Transportation and Logistics Systems
- Changes to the transportation system and industry arising from evolving trade patterns, regulatory changes, technological developments and other events
- best practices for transportation and logistics in other countries
- analysis of the performance of the supply chain and individual modes (including international benchmarking on access, competition and passenger services as applicable) for:
- rail freight
- aviation
- marine
- trucking and intermodal
- passenger modes other than air (intercity train and bus, urban transit, ferries)
- Reliability of the supply chain: ability of the system to respond effectively to surge in demand and unexpected reductions in supply (resiliency)
- Fluidity and efficient movement of the system within Canada, between Canada and the U.S., and with other trading partners.
Freight Rail: Capacity and Logistics
- recent and historical trends in the performance of Canadian railways
- an exploration of current and future trends in the global demand and flows of bulk commodities and their impacts on the Canadian transportation system
- assessment of the state of Canadian railways in comparison to other jurisdictions
- exploration of the governance structure associated with freight rail
- review of the types of incentives and penalties used in other jurisdictions for railway performance
- review of railway pricing formulas
- assessment of the nature of competition in Canada and effectiveness of the existing level of service and competitive access provisions
- relationship of enhanced access provisions to existing Canada Transportation Act provisions
- exploration of the particular challenges and opportunities of the Canadian grain handling and transportation system
- review of current systems of monitoring, reporting and data capture as they pertain to freight rail
Governance Issues for Federal Transportation Assets
- governance, accountability and performance considerations, including evaluating the comparability across federal transportation assets
- review of best practices and approaches in other countries to assess how current models might be improved to achieve better results for Canadians
Transportation Infrastructure Planning, Funding and Financing
- adequacy of current infrastructure assets to meet Canada’s long-term requirements
- financial performance and incentives for investment in transportation infrastructure
- how Canada compares to international competitors, and particular challenges for each type of infrastructure and operations, including:
- passenger rail
- airports, air navigation and aviation security screening
- ports
- St. Lawrence Seaway
- roads
- Determining investment priorities and innovative approaches to attract financing
The Environment
- greening the supply chain and reducing environmental consequences of transportation activities
- addressing actual and prospective impacts of climate change
Accessibility to Transportation Services
- opportunities for improving accessibility in all passenger modes, including for an aging population
Technological Innovation
- benchmarking against Canada’s international competitors in terms of adoption of available technology to enhance efficiency, safety, security and environmental impacts
- ways to improve uptake of new technology within the industry
- identification of areas where Canada could exploit “niche” expertise
Northern Transportation Issues
- Transportation as a mechanism for supporting economic opportunity in the North
- Deployment of technology to improve transportation navigation and communications.
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