Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We've heard about long-term infrastructure investments from Mr. Guy, we've heard about components of the strategy from Mr. Hall and we've heard from Mr. Paquin that investments need to be optimized. I'll preface my comments by saying that the analysts need your testimony to draft this report, so today I would like to get granular on the long-term investment components of the strategy and the optimization of investments. All of you feel free to follow up with correspondence to the committee to elaborate on this.
In his remarks to the House of Commons, President Biden, who just visited Ottawa, emphasized the need for partnerships, working together and further integration of the supply chains between the world's closest trading partners. The supply chain task force returned with the recommendation that we “[e]ngage the U.S. and the provinces/territories to achieve reciprocal recognition of regulations, policies and processes to enhance transportation supply chain competitiveness and productivity.” This is for water—for example, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence—mainline and short-line rail, major roadways, airports, servicing lands, integrating distribution and logistics and strengthening fluidity at our borders.
One, do you feel that to execute action plans contained within our collectively established trade corridor and supply chain strategies, it is absolutely imperative to ensure we move forward by working together, in a whole-of-governments—and I said “governments”—approach at all levels, on a binational, leveraged, public-private and integrated multimodal capital strategy that recognizes integrated supply chains and takes into consideration a binational integration of distribution and logistics? Two, what are some of the components that come to mind?
First off is Mr. Guy.