The plan’s objective is to decarbonise its most important shipping arteries, including the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and to/from Canada’s main ports on the east and west coasts. Canada is a signatory to the Clydebank Declaration agreed at COP26 in Glasgow to support the establishment of zero-emission maritime routes between two or more ports and so a green shipping corridors programme has been expected for some time.

Pablo Rodriguez, the country’s Minister of Transport, explained that the programme will be delivered through the government’s “Clean Ports stream”, which provides funding to support the adoption of clean technologies and infrastructure at ports and terminals, and the “Clean Vessel Demonstration stream. The latter offers funding to study, test, and pilot clean fuel propulsion systems for ships.

“With the new Green Shipping Corridor Programme, Canada is taking another step towards meeting its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Rodriguez. “We can work together to establish green shipping corridors to decarbonise the marine sector along the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, as well as Canada’s east and west coasts.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources who was visiting the port of Vancouver at the time of the announcement stressed the importance of the investment to Canada’s importers and exporters.

“The Government of Canada is making smart investments to ensure that our critically important supply chains – the economic links that ensure affordable goods and products are delivered to market and to Canadians – are as sustainable and competitive as possible,” he said. “This investment is key to accelerating the uptake of clean technologies, fuels and or energy sources, here in British Columbia and across the country.”

Applications for funding under the two streams is available through the Transport Canada website.

Meanwhile, in other developments, Rodriguez and Robert Dick, Assistant Deputy Minister, have announced the setting up of the National Supply Chain Office (NSCO), backed up by Can$27.2M of funding.

Principally, the NSCO will develop and then implement a national supply chain strategy and in close collaboration with industry, labour, Indigenous groups and other levels of government, implement measures that will increase efficiency and resiliency levels across the nation’s supply chains. It will also address issues that could potentially disrupt supply chains, such as extreme weather events and industrial action/labour disputes, and have solutions that will limit the impact of any such disruptions.

The setting up of the NSCO follows one of the key recommendations of the National Supply Chain Task Force’s report that concluded that a strengthening Canada’s transportation supply chains was crucial to growing the economy and making life more affordable for Canadians.

“The National Supply Chain Office will enhance the resilience, efficiency, and reliability of our transportation systems,” said Rodriguez. “This is one of many initiatives by the Government of Canada to reduce congestion throughout the transportation supply chain, benefiting Canadians across the country.”