June 18, 2025

Good afternoon, Senators. My name is Daniel-Robert Gooch, and I am president and CEO of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, which represents all 17 Canada Port Authorities. It is a pleasure to be with you to speak on Bill C-5.

Canada’s port authorities play a vital role in enabling our global trade. While most goods to the U.S. move by rail or truck, trade with more distant markets moves by sea. Over 80% of global trade is carried by ship, and Canada is no exception. While three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the United States, most of the remaining exports travel by sea.

It is the role of Canada’s port authorities to facilitate this trade, by building and maintaining the infrastructure on which private partners operate at Canada’s ports, and in managing the busy marine traffic travelling in and around our ports. While private operators also invest in port infrastructure, port authorities are responsible for providing land, road and water-side access, utilities, and other enabling services, in addition to their own infrastructure investments.

Last year, we surveyed our member port authorities about their infrastructure needs. They identified at least $10 billion in projects between now and 2040—but only about 40% of that has confirmed funding. Of that total, $5 billion is planned over the next four years. And that’s just for the projects we know about. Total needs through 2040 could reach as high as $21 billion.

These investments are aimed at improving efficiency, fluidity, and digital systems, expanding capacity, rehabilitating aging infrastructure, and strengthening the resilience of the overall network.

This survey was conducted before the current U.S. trade war and the federal government’s push to diversify global trade. While Canada’s port authorities may lose business under the Trump administration, there are also opportunities. If Canada shifts even 6% of trade from the U.S. to overseas markets, some ports will quickly reach capacity. Action is urgent—not only for Canadian businesses, but because global competition is intensifying. For example, U.S. container ports have attracted 32 times more committed investment than those on Canada’s Atlantic and St. Lawrence coasts.

And so Canada’s port authorities welcome the federal government’s steps to streamline project approvals for national interest projects, which we see as just one piece of what the federal government is signalling will be a broader reform agenda.

We participated in a technical briefing last week and understand that the federal government is working closely with provincial and territorial premiers to identify which projects will be reviewed under the streamlined process proposed in Bill C-5.

With $5 billion in active projects through 2028, our members have initiatives in every region likely to be considered. Some national interest projects are already well known and have been mentioned by Minister Freeland, such as port projects in Vancouver, Montreal and Saint John, while these and many others are the subject of discussion between ports, their premiers and the federal government.

For projects under the Bill C-5 framework, we recognize that departments and agencies will still need to do significant work to meet tighter timelines. But creating a central office for national interest projects, front-loading key decisions, establishing a centralized list of conditions, and setting a two-year approval timeline are promising steps toward greater predictability for major investors. The bill also sets an aspirational pace and approach for federal and provincial entities involved in reviews and permitting.

Canada’s port authorities share the federal government’s commitment to environmental protection and Indigenous reconciliation. We also believe these goals can be met more efficiently through reforms that maintain strong standards for assessment and consultation while allowing for faster reviews. While the current focus is on nationally significant projects, a more efficient process should ultimately benefit all projects by removing duplication, increasing predictability, and streamlining decisions.

Even with ambitious reforms and renewed federal infrastructure funding, including the $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund announced in the recent Speech from the Throne, modernizing the Canada Port Authority (CPA) model remains essential. CPAs need greater financial agility to fund their share of infrastructure. This includes reforms to enable collaboration, modernized borrowing rules, expanded revenue generating activities, greater flexibility to partner with public and private sectors, and other measures to boost financial capacity and competitiveness. Border and policing services must also align with the reform agenda.

To conclude, with Bill C-5 the Government of Canada is signalling a commitment to bold trade diversification goals and the policy changes needed to support them. Canada Port Authorities are ready to help deliver. I’m happy to take any questions you may have.

As presented by:

Daniel-Robert Gooch
President and CEO, Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Bill C-5 presentation to the Senate, Committee of the Whole, June 18.25