Minister-led Roundtable: The Traveller - Table Setter
(PDF, 250 KB)
May 31, 2016, 3:30PM to 5:30PM | Ottawa, ON
Table Setter
Discussion Purpose
To hear perspectives on the longer-term agenda for transportation in Canada that supports the Government’s objectives for economic growth, a cleaner economy, and a country that remains well-positioned to compete globally.
Roundtable Objective
To find the best way forward to ensure a high quality and efficient public passenger transportation system and that Canada’s ability to attract visitors and transiting travellers can be maintained and augmented in light of the range of cost factors and competitive global markets.
Trends/Drivers
- With increased globalization, meeting passenger needs and expectations is more important than ever. The Canadian traveller’s experience is more informed than ever by increased global travel.
- The Canadian public passenger transportation system must grow its effective intermodal network to ensure that its coverage and services meet the needs of Canadian travellers across the country. This includes finding ways to increase efficiency and decrease congestion.
- System users and consumers are seeking greater choice and convenience, lower costs, better service, a more accessible network, and improved protection mechanisms.
Defining Objectives for the Future
Fostering Transportation Competitiveness While Ensuring Adequate User Protections
Enhancing Reliability of Key Corridors While Anticipating Future Capacity
Establishing Federal Leadership While Leveraging Collaboration with Public and Private Sector Partners
Enhancing Freight and Passenger Flows While Minimizing Impacts on Citizens and Communities
Addressing the Different Needs of Urban, Remote and Northern Communities
Key Index Question
How can we provide greater choice, better service, more economical alternatives, and improved protections for Canadian travellers?
Roundtable Discussion Questions
- How can the transportation sector more effectively meet travellers’ needs and expectations in terms of cost, service, access, and volume, in a way that allows them to be competitive in a sustainable manner, and what is government’s role in this?
- The CTA Review Report recommends greater transparency and accountability by transportation service and infrastructure providers to their clients. How would you propose this be implemented? Would the concept of a report card be effective? If so, what would this look like?
- What approaches can the government take to optimize its policy framework for the transportation sector to ensure that users have the best connectivity and the most competitive costs for travel, including by incenting greater competition or implementing light touch regulations?
- When thinking about all the ways in which Canadians (both as taxpayers and as travellers) pay for air, rail, bus, ferries (from user pay to security costs and infrastructure funding), could these costs and subsidies be allocated within or between modes more effectively? If so, how?