Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.
I'm pleased to be here to speak on a topic that really couldn't be more timely. Making our economy more productive is always a must-do, and with trade rules upended and Canadians concerned about their economic future, it's more critical than ever that we double down on the task at hand.
As Canada's largest and North America's most cargo-diverse port, the Port of Vancouver is uniquely poised to play a leading role, particularly as Canada increasingly looks west to unlock its trade potential, because that's what we do. Even in the face of weather, labour and geopolitical disruptions, the Port of Vancouver delivers for Canada.
In 2024, we moved a record 158 million metric tons of cargo, a 5% increase year on year. This is a trend that's continued in the first half of 2025, with trade volumes up 13%, the highest mid-year jump in 15 years.
Today, I'd like to share the ways in which the port authority continues not only to support but also to enable Canada's productivity and competitiveness. I'll also share recommendations on how the federal government can help us play an even stronger role.
How does the Port of Vancouver contribute to productivity gains?
First, the port is a major driver of regional productivity. We're talking about over 132,000 jobs Canada-wide, including the longshore, logistics, distribution, rail, trucking and other workers who make what we do possible. What's more, we contribute over $16 billion to Canada's GDP and nearly $2 billion in tax revenue to all levels of government. This all means higher incomes, greater consumption and a continuous focus on skills development in all parts of the country.
Second, Canadian businesses count on us to get the products they manufacture, mine, harvest and grow to customers. Today, we ship to and receive goods from more than 170 countries, including Japan, South Korea and China, with opportunities to expand and diversify further, particularly into Indo-Pacific markets.
To keep building those trade relationships, we know it's about making sure we're getting products to customers reliably and cost-effectively. Around 3,000 ships call to the port every year, and with demand for Canadian commodities going up, so will our volumes. That requires taking action now to innovate, optimize and adopt new tools and digital tech to help us move ships in and out of the port better and faster.
Take our active vessel traffic management program, designed with Transport Canada and first nations partners. We're adopting new tools that make vessel movement safer, more predictable and more sustainable. When fully rolled out this year, we'll see the optimization of thousands of ship transits.
One key component is a new centralized scheduling system made possible by digital twins. This is a tool that tells us what's happening with the weather, tides and currents and is shareable between terminal operators, rail and others. Already, CN's participation in the program has increased weekly train movements to and from North Vancouver by 10%. This is all proving that when we partner to innovate and optimize, productivity gains follow.
Third, together with our partners, we're getting projects built. DP World's $500-million Centerm terminal expansion project increased the movement of containers by 60% with only a 15% increase in the terminal footprint.
Efficient port approval processes of BHP's new potash export facility at Westshore unlocked the final investment decision for their Jansen mine in Saskatchewan and will see four million tonnes of potash shipped annually. Efficient permitting of the Westridge marine terminal by the port enabled a 200% increase in exports as the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline came online.
Looking ahead at Westridge, we're leading dredging works near Second Narrows bridge that will help vessels calling there to more fully load, from 70% to closer to 90% to 100% capacity.
Our Roberts Bank terminal 2 project will build new industrial land, increase container capacity by 30% and add $100 billion in annual trade capacity.
This is exciting stuff, and to further help Canada step up, here are a couple of recommendations.
The first recommendation is red tape reduction. The port authority delivers over 90% of our permitting decisions on time, with robust consideration of environmental interests and those of first nations and communities. We were pleased to see the government's 60-day red tape review deliver some initiatives, but more can be done now, including more use of substitution agreements and expanding and making greater use of the port authority's permitting powers to accelerate delivery of private sector-led projects.
Lastly, invest in trade-enabling infrastructure. Previous joint investments under the national trade corridors fund delivered more capacity and better fluidity in the Pacific gateway through things like road and rail projects and the Annacis auto terminal optimization project. We urge the government to swiftly launch the promised $5-billion trade diversification corridor fund to contribute to building up our capacity and resilience and help Canada meet this moment.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.