Trade Diversification Corridors Fund

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Overview

The $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund (TDCF) is a federal program designed to build and improve trade infrastructure that connects Canada. This will unlock access to new global markets and help double non-U.S. exports.

Transport Canada (TC) will deliver this funding in partnership with other government departments or agencies, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

The program will help Canada grow trade by:

  • building and improving critical transportation infrastructure (roads, rail lines, airports, bridges, ports etc.) in trade corridors
  • addressing costly congestion that is hindering Canada’s economic growth
  • supporting better regional connections, new ideas, and economic growth

Funding could be provided as repayable or non-repayable contributions, depending on the project. In some cases, we may use both types of funding.

The program will fund transportation projects that:

  • expand trade and transportation infrastructure to help Canada reach global markets
  • reduce traffic and delays that slow down the economy
  • fix gaps in trade-related transportation infrastructure that hold back national or regional growth

Transport Canada will offer webinars in both official languages during the months of March and April. See Trade Diversification Corridors Fund Webinars for the schedule.

Three funding streams

On March 4, 2026, TC launched three new funding streams under this program. It will focus on investing in infrastructure that supports Canada's trade and energy corridors, helps businesses reach new markets, and boosts domestic and international trade.

Stream 1: Strengthening Canada’s Core Trade Corridors through a Systems-Based Approach (Invitation-Based)
Targets high-impact projects that diversify trade through Canada’s core trade corridors. It will use a systems-based approach, which entails targeting opportunities where bundles of projects could be advanced as an integrated package to maximize trade diversification benefits.

Stream 2: Unlocking Opportunities and Connectivity Through Collaborative Trade Corridor Solutions (Targeted Call)
Targets collaborative, multi-stakeholder solutions to resolve specific issues that are inhibiting Canada’s ability to grow and diversify trade through key trade corridors. Applicants will be invited to submit proposals to address one or more of the following issues:

  1. Enhancing intermodal capacity to increase trade with non-United States markets, including potentially through inland ports.
  2. Optimizing existing transportation assets to enable trade diversification in the core trade corridors to support overseas exports.
  3. Increasing transportation capacity for bulk commodity exports.

Stream 3: Supporting Regional Growth (Open Call)
Targets projects that address trade-enabling transportation infrastructure gaps that are impeding regional growth.

Trade Diversification Corridors

Canada’s trade flows are structured around four nationally significant trade corridors that link major production regions to domestic and international markets.

Pacific Corridor

Canada’s primary gateway to Asia-Pacific markets, moving offshore trade and enabling the export of energy, grain, potash, metals, and minerals produced primarily in the Prairies and Western Canada through an integrated marine, rail, and road network.

Text description of the map

A map of British Columbia showing the Pacific Trade Diversification Corridor. It highlights ports in Prince Rupert and Vancouver, as well as rail networks for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and shortline railways. Major highways and key cities including Prince George and Kamloops are shown, with routes extending eastward toward Alberta.

 

Prairies Corridor

Canada’s largest resource-producing region, supporting energy, agriculture, and critical mineral production across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and serving as a critical inland conduit linking these outputs to Pacific, Central, and Atlantic gateways.

Text description of the map

A map of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba showing the Prairie Trade Diversification Corridor. It includes Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail lines, shortline railways, and major highways. Key cities shown include Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg, with rail corridors running east–west across the Prairies.

 

Central Corridor

The country’s economic and population core in Ontario and Quebec, characterized by advanced manufacturing, agri-food processing, and emerging critical mineral development, with links to overseas markets through Great Lakes/St. Lawrence shipping and other ports.

Text description of the map

A map of central Canada showing the Central Trade Diversification Corridor across Ontario and Quebec. It highlights ports in Thunder Bay, Windsor, Hamilton‑Oshawa, Montréal, Trois‑Rivières, Québec, Saguenay, and Sept‑Îles. Rail lines for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and shortline networks are shown, along with major highways connecting key cities.

 

Atlantic Corridor

A strategic gateway connecting eastern Canadian production, including agri-food, energy, and manufactured goods, to transatlantic and global shipping routes through the Atlantic provinces.

Text description of the map

A map of Atlantic Canada showing the Atlantic Trade Diversification Corridor. It includes ports in St. John’s, Belledune, Saint John, and Halifax. Rail networks for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the New Brunswick Southern Railway, and shortline railways are highlighted, along with major highways across Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

 

Contact us

If you have questions about this program, contact us by email.
Email: tc.diversificationfund-fondsdiversification.tc@tc.gc.ca

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