Overall, domestic transport-related greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 15% over the past decade (2009 to 2018). Canada’s National Inventory Report 1990-2018 indicates decreased emissions for marine transportation, and increased emissions for aviation, rail and road transportation (see chart below).
Canada continued to have a safe and secure transportation system.
In 2020, 144 aviation accidents (under the Canadian Aviation Regulations) involving Canadian-registered aircraft were recorded, down 28% from the average of the previous ten years. These accidents caused 13 fatalities, a significant decrease compared to 54 fatalities in 2019.
In 2020, all modes of passenger transportation faced tremendous challenges leading to drastic reductions of passenger flows and no meaningful recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic, but more specifically the restrictions put in place from various levels of governments to limit its spread have profoundly altered travel patterns. Air transportation was the most affected sector, along with the cruise industry which suffered from a ban in 2020.
Despite a global pandemic, ensuing recession and a ramp up in demand, the total cargo volumes handled at the 17 Canada Port Authorities decreased by 0.5% in 2020, from 348.1 million tonnes in 2019 to 346.3 million tonnes in 2020 (see chart 4 below and Map 6 in the Annex).
A number of data and metrics are used to monitor and assess the performance of Canada’s transportation system. Merchandise and traffic volumes indicate how busy the system is from a national and regional perspectives. Time-based indicators, such as end-to-end transit time and travel time index, are used to assess the system’s fluidity and supply chain competitiveness.
Starting in 2016, the 12-year Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan (ICIP) will invest over $180 billion into infrastructure projects across the nation. The plan will take place in 2 phases, the first of which includes a focus on repairing and upgrading public transportation systems.
