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

From Transport Canada

Canadians expect a transportation system that allows them to safely and efficiently get where they need to go each day. Businesses and customers expect a transportation system they can trust to deliver resources and products to global markets and local store shelves on time. Transportation also touches on other important issues such as air pollution, public safety and security and economic opportunity for Canada’s middle class.

Over spring through fall 2016, we asked you what we needed to do to make our transportation system work better, smarter, cleaner and safer. You told us:

  • federal leadership and a national strategy would help us all work towards the same goals
  • we need to look at how the transportation system works as a whole
  • the Canada Transportation Act Review Report provides critical insights to pressures and trends that the transportation system faces over the next decades
  • actions and areas of work you believe will get the transportation system working for Canada’s middle class

A vision

Our vision is our response to what you told us we needed to do, and to the findings of the 2015 Canada Transportation Act Review:

“Our vision is of a safe, secure, green, innovative and integrated transportation system that supports trade and economic growth, a cleaner environment and the well-being of Canada’s middle class.”

Transportation 2030

Transportation 2030 groups areas of work under five themes, which span modes of transport such as air travel, ships, trucks and trains; and activities such as setting and enforcing regulations. This allows us to take a “whole system” view to make sure that all parts of our transportation system work well together to support broader government priorities.

Each theme has its own specific goal to guide our actions today and over the longer-term. We are taking action now under all of these themes. We will also develop new policies and take new measures under all themes over the next several years to further strengthen our transportation system.

Visit these pages often to see new actions linked to Transportation 2030 and check on our overall progress.

Open this Infographic for a high-level summary of Transportation 2030, including the overall vision, supporting five themes and goals.

Transportation Modernization Bill

On May 16 2017, new legislation was‎ proposed by the Government of Canada to improve the transportation system.

To learn more about this bill, please see the following:

Five themes to focus our work

Modernize the federal toolkit

Our long-term agenda aims to shape the transportation system we need to reach our vision. It requires Transport Canada to adopt a new way of thinking about how we deliver services and oversee the transportation system.

Building a modern transportation system requires us to focus on key priorities and take a “whole system” approach in areas such as:

  • good data for making evidence-based decisions
  • modern Acts, regulations, and policies
  • strong partnerships

Data and evidence

You told us we need timely and accessible data to:

  • assess how products move along supply chains
  • decide how to improve environmental performance
  • reduce risks to safety
  • increase trust in our transportation system

In response, we will look for ways to fill data gaps, use new ways to collect and analyze data, and work with stakeholders to maximize results from investments in data, analysis, science and research, and technology. We are also looking at ways to share this data so that businesses and Canadians can make plans and business decisions on the same information.

Modernize legal and policy frameworks

Transport Canada develops policies and enforces Acts and regulations that support transportation efficiency, safety, security, environmental responsibility, and align with global standards. Because of recent, rapid and complex changes in transportation, such as connected and automated cars, we are looking at how Transport Canada and organizations within the federal Transport Portfolio can operate and regulate to better respond to current realities.

Strong partnerships

Federal and provincial/territorial Ministers responsible for transportation and highway safety agree they must continue to work together if Canada is to meet the challenges and take advantage of opportunities that arise, in order to ensure a modern and efficient transportation system. We also want to:

  • build and strengthen our relationship with Indigenous groups
  • find better ways to work and communicate with private sector organizations and Canadians to move this agenda forward

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