Thank you very much.
Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen members of the committee, hello and thank you for having us this morning.
The Montreal Port Authority, or the MPA, also referred to as the Port of Montreal is Canada's second largest port and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of cargo, from dry bulk like grain, to liquid bulk and containerized and non-containerized general cargo. It is the only container port on the St. Lawrence River and the world's largest shipping lines serve it.
The Port of Montreal is also a unique intermodal hub in North America because it owns and operates its own rail network directly dockside, connecting it to the two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a cruise terminal.
Like Canada's other port authorities, the MPA is responsible for managing its port assets under the Canada Marine Act, but these assets must also support Canada in its growing commercial trade.
The Port of Montreal is the natural gateway to northern European markets, and we are already benefiting from the new Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which came into force only a year ago. But Asian markets and emerging markets are also now significant parts of our container traffic, thanks to our diversification strategy that makes Canada more resilient to the vagaries of international trade.
Today, the port is connected to more than 140 countries and generates over 16,000 jobs and upwards of $2 billion in annual economic benefits. Every year, over $41 billion in cargo comes through our docks.
To be able to fully contribute to Canada's prosperity, port authorities must rely on: efficient transportation logistics chains; healthy infrastructure; innovation; and expanding their capacity. Our recommendations will cover those four themes.
For a port to be competitive and be able to grow, it must be supported by reliable and efficient land trade corridors. The Port of Montreal benefits from an intermodal chain that ensures fluidity in freight transport, but it's an ongoing effort. A great advantage of ours is the presence since 2013 of the only transportation and logistics industrial cluster in North America, CargoM, which brings together the top transport industry players to optimize Montreal's intermodal chain.
Here is our first recommendation: it is of paramount importance to protect and promote the optimization of land ties connecting a port to its markets. A port is nothing without road and rail access that make it possible to get cargo in and out fast.
I am now going to turn to my colleague, Mr. Boemi, to continue.