Quebec Region

Overview:

The multimodal transportation system in Quebec is concentrated around major population centres and along the St. Lawrence River, and is a key contributor to local, interprovincial and international trade flows.

The Region is home to three airports included in the National Airport System (Mirabel International Aerocity, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport). Apart from the global decrease in air transportation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) passenger traffic has been steadily increasing over the past several decades and remains Canada’s third-largest airport. The province is a major hub of the global aerospace industry as many international organizations (International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International) and national airline companies (e.g. Air Canada and Air Transat) are headquartered in Montreal.

There is a large domestic marine industry due to the St-Lawrence Seaway and Arctic resupply businesses with headquarters in Quebec. Quebec’s network of ports, along the St. Lawrence River and beyond, includes both private and public facilities, including five port authorities. The Port of Montreal with its five (soon to be 6 with Contrecoeur) container terminals is Canada’s second busiest container port. 

There are also important bulk terminals at ports along the St. Lawrence River, including at the Port of Sept-Îles (the busiest iron ore port in North America), the Port of Baie-Comeau (mainly grain) and the privately owned Port-Cartier, which also handles significant volumes of iron ore. Transport Canada owns and operates a number of ports in Quebec that are important for supplying remote communities (see list at the end of this document). 

Class I rail carriers Canadian National (CN), CSX, and Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Limited (CPKC) provide rail service connecting to the rest of Canada and North America. CN, the largest rail carrier in the country, has its headquarters in Montreal. There are also several provincially and federally regulated shortlines transporting freight in the province as well as stand-alone freight rail corridors connecting iron mines in the Labrador trough to ports on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. Passenger rail operations (VIA Rail, Exo, and Amtrack amongst others) operate over 5,300 kilometres of track. The Réseau express métropolitain’s (REM) light rail system connects Montreal to the south shore, with several additional extensions under construction and expected to be fully operational in 2027.  

Profile: 

Mélanie Morier

Mélanie Morier

Regional Director General, Quebec Region

Bio

Regional Director General: Mélanie Morier

Number of Employees: 475

Offices: 8 

  • Regional Headquarters are located in Montreal at 700 Place Leigh-Capreol in Dorval, directly beside the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport
  • 8 offices within the Region (Dorval, Montreal, Quebec City, Chicoutimi (Saguenay), Longueuil, Cap-aux-Meules (Iles-de-la-Madeleine), Rimouski, Sept-Îles)

Transport Canada owned assets: 

  • 11 TC owned and operated aerodromes:
    • Chevery
    • Eastmain River
    • Havre Saint-Pierre
    • Îles-de-la Madeleine
    • Kuujjuaq
    • Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon
    • Natashquan
    • Schefferville
    • Sept-Îles
    • Waskaganish
    • Wemindji
  • 19 ports:
    • 10 open for navigation
      • Blanc-Sablon
      • Cap-aux-Meules
      • Harrington Harbour
      • La Romaine
      • La Tabatière
      • Les Méchins
      • Natashquan
      • Kegaska
      • Saint-Augustin (Pointe-à-la-Truite)
      • Tête-à-la-Baleine
    • 9 closed for navigation
      • Baie-Johan-Beetz
      • Chandler
      • Miguasha-Ouest
      • Pointe-au-Père
      • Portneuf
      • Mont-Louis
      • Old Fort Bay (Vieux-Fort)
      • Paspébiac
      • Saint-François (Île d’Orléans)