A reliable and efficient supply chain is critical to the economic well-being of our country. I repeat: it must be reliable and efficient.
The transport sector is responsible for facilitating trade, which comprised 61% of Canada’s GDP in 2021, a year in which the supply chain suffered significant reductions in service due to human-caused mischief and natural disasters.
Regardless of the advancements being made through automation and artificial intelligence, stakeholders believe labour will continue to be a limiting factor for a reliable and efficient supply chain unless drastic measures are taken.
To respond to these issues we have consistently heard that collaboration among all levels of government and the private sector should be prioritized to better understand labour market needs across the country and to meet current and future workforce requirements.
Collaboration between the public and private sectors was seen as an opportunity to advance and promote education and skills training in supply chain-related occupations. This collaboration would also have to involve provinces and territories as education and training fall under their jurisdiction.
Taking into account the struggles and suggestions from industry, our final report contains both immediate actions and long-term recommendations that reflect what we heard.
In the short term, within two years, we have recommended that the government develop a transportation supply chain labour strategy to identify current issues and develop long-term and lasting solutions.
Additionally, we have brought forward other immediate actions that the government could pursue to provide some immediate relief. These include that the federal government seek to expand existing labour programs and examine a way to attract under-represented groups; continue to support and, if possible, expand the temporary foreign worker program on an urgent basis as it applies to workers in the transportation supply chain; expedite refugee and immigration processing for those eligible to work in supply chain-related businesses; and finally, support organizations and businesses to help acclimatize new Canadians to Canadian work and social environments.
Looking to the long term, we recommend that the government finalize the transportation supply chain labour strategy and, at a minimum, include direction related to immigration, domestic labour participation, refugee training and education, productivity and automation.
The strategy should reinforce the government's willingness to adapt policies, remove barriers, provide adequate training, embrace collaboration, promote the continuous growth and upscaling of our workforce, and invest in our businesses to take advantage of technology.
Our final report provides further details on each recommendation and the nuances of the problems faced by the supply chain system.
While labour is only a single component of our final report, we would like to thank you for giving us the time to share our findings on the matter. We look forward to any questions you may have.
Thank you.