Transportation 2030: A Strategic Plan for the Future of Transportation in Canada

From: Transport Canada

Learn about Transportation 2030, our plan for a national transportation system that supports economic growth, job creation and Canada’s middle class.

To stay up-to-date on new actions linked to Transportation 2030 and check on our overall progress, visit these pages often.

A vision for the future of transportation in Canada

In 2016, we asked you what we need to do to make our transportation system better, smarter, cleaner and safer. You told us that:

There is a need for federal leadership and a national strategy to support a transportation system into the future
We need to look at how the transportation system works as a whole
Specific actions will get the transportation system working for Canada’s middle class

Our vision responds to what you told us and to the findings of the 2015 Canada Transportation Act Review. We envision a safe, secure, green, innovative and integrated transportation system that supports:

trade and economic growth
a cleaner environment
the well-being of Canada’s middle class

About Transportation 2030: themes and actions

Transportation 2030 is our strategic plan to support this vision. The plan groups areas of work under five themes. These themes span modes of transport (such as air, marine, trucking and rail) as well as activities (such as setting and enforcing regulations).

Each theme has its own specific goal. We are taking action now under all themes, and will continue to develop policies and carry out actions for each area.

For a summary of the plan’s vision, themes and goals, see the Transportation 2030 infographic.

Five themes to focus our work

Better data and evidence

You told us we need timely and accessible data to:

assess how products move along supply chains
help the environment
reduce safety risks
increase trust in our transportation system

In response, we will:

fill data gaps
use new methods to collect and analyze data
work with stakeholders to get better results from investments in data analysis, science, research and technology

Canadian Centre on Transportation Data

Budget 2017 proposed $50 million over 11 years to launch a Trade and Transportation Information System, carried out by a new Canadian Centre on Transportation Data. This is a joint Transport Canada and Statistics Canada initiative. In the 2018 Fall Economic Statement, $13.6 million over three years was set aside to help us improve transportation data and speed the creation of the Centre.

We launched the Transportation Data and Information Hub, one of the Centre’s key deliverables, in April 2018. The Hub is a one-stop location for high- quality, timely and accessible transportation data and information, including:

links to transportation data, both national and international
information on how the transportation system is performing
a map with links to information about Canada’s larger land border crossings, airports and ports

The Hub will also host:

air passenger experience indicators, starting in 2021
staffing levels for oversight programs
enforcement actions, and immediate risk reduction measures
urban mobility performance indicators, which are an evidence-based way to measure the mobility of key corridors in Canada’s urban centers

Under the Centre, we have also invested in addressing key transportation data gaps. For example, we launched the multimodal Canadian Freight Analysis Framework to measure how freight travels between a starting point and its destination. We are expanding the Trucking Commodity Origin and Destination survey, and will begin including household expenditures in the Transportation Economic Accounts.

We invested in innovative projects to:

promote evidence-based dialogue in the Regions
increase our ability to support and coordinate private or public investments
develop our ability to identify capacity and constraints based on trade and domestic consumption requirements

Modern policies, acts, and regulations

Transport Canada develops policies and enforces Acts and regulations that support transportation efficiency, safety, security and environmental responsibility. These Acts and regulations must align with:

global standards
recent, rapid and complex changes in transportation (such as connected and automated cars)

We are therefore looking at how our policies, Acts and regulations can better respond to current realities.

Strong partnerships

Federal and provincial/territorial Ministers responsible for the shared transportation system must continue to work together. We also want to:

build and strengthen our relationship with Indigenous groups
find better ways to work and communicate with private sector organizations and individual Canadians

Transportation Modernization Act

On May 16, 2017, the Government of Canada proposed changes to laws to improve the transportation system. On May 23, 2018, the Transportation Modernization Act received Royal Assent.

This put into place measures that will help grow the economy and improve safety and security for Canadians. This legislation is a first legislative step to deliver on early measures that are part of Transportation 2030.

These changes affect the transportation system in the following ways:

Air travel

The Canadian Transportation Agency created a set of clear rules about how airlines in Canada must treat passengers
Changes have been made to passenger airline ownership rules that should result in lower air fares
Airports are allowed to pay for additional services from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to improve the security screening experience for passengers

Rail transportation system

Canadian railways will install recording devices in their locomotives to provide information about railway accidents, while protecting the privacy of railway employees
The freight rail policy framework was updated to promote:
- rail system efficiency
- long-term investments
- better access to dispute resolution processes for railway customers
Major railways are now required to report more information about their operations, including data on service, performance and rates
- This makes Canada’s railway operations more transparent, and also helps us make evidence-based policy decisions
- A regulatory process is underway to further strengthen these reporting requirements

Marine transportation system

As of December 10, 2018, vessel owners can move shipping containers between locations in Canada (on a non-revenue basis). This will help deal with the current container shortage and could reduce the cost of trade
Canadian Port Authorities now have access to funding from the Canada Infrastructure Bank
As a result, these ports will have more options for financing to make improvements to their equipment and marine infrastructure (for example, wharves, docks and terminals)

The Strengthening Motor Vehicle Safety for Canadians Act

On March 1, 2018 the Strengthening Motor Vehicle Safety for Canadians Act came into force and introduced many major changes to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act including:

strengthening the Minister of Transport’s enforcement and compliance authority for road safety, and
added flexibility to make it easier keep pace with connected and automated vehicles as they evolve

The bill also introduced:

updated Ministerial Order provisions (like exemptions, interim orders and suspension orders), that will enable the safe testing and use of connected and automated vehicles
authorities to develop an administrative monetary penalty (fine) regime to improve compliance. This work is currently underway
new powers to order manufacturers to correct non-compliance and safety defects at no cost to the consumer, and
the ability to collect information from manufacturers to help us detect and correct safety defects sooner. This work is currently underway

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