The impact of Trump tariffs on Canadian exports has once again highlighted a hard truth: Canada is too reliant on a single trading partner. While the U.S. has long been our biggest customer, escalating trade tensions are a stark reminder that our economic security depends on diversifying our markets and strengthening our trade corridors.
As Canada’s gateway to the Pacific, our province is positioned to expand trade with fast-growing economies in Asia and beyond. However, we will continue to fall behind our global competitors without federal leadership, long-term planning and sustained investment in critical trade infrastructure.
The British Columbia government has made significant investments in infrastructure, recognizing its essential role in economic growth and trade diversification. Improving Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley to the Alberta border, as well as strengthening key corridors like Highway 16 to Prince Rupert and the Coquihalla, demonstrates a clear commitment to modernizing transportation networks.
But 小蓝视频 cannot do this alone. More than two million Canadian jobs rely on the health of our ports, highways, rail and border crossings, which all require federal investment and a national strategy.
Other countries recognize this. Australia, Germany and Japan have all adopted long-term, federally driven infrastructure investment strategies that prioritize projects based on their ability to enhance economic competitiveness and trade capacity. Canada’s approach? Fragmented, inconsistent and reactive. Our federal infrastructure funding comes in fits and starts rather than through a cohesive, forward-thinking plan.
The impact of Ottawa’s failure to plan and invest is already being felt. In 2009, we ranked in the Top 10 for global transportation network quality. By 2019, we had plummeted to 32nd place, behind countries with far fewer resources.
The consequences are real. Supply chain disruptions in recent years, from climate disasters to pandemic-related delays, have exposed the fragility of Canada’s trade networks. Ports have been backlogged, rail lines have faced shutdowns, and communities have been cut off from essential goods.
We cannot afford more delays. What good are trade deals with Europe, Asia and South America if we cannot efficiently and reliably move goods to those markets? While our competitors are investing in trade infrastructure for the next 40 years, Canada can barely plan for the next four.
The Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan, proposed by national business organizations and endorsed by provincial premiers, offers a roadmap to prioritize trade-enabling projects, coordinate investment across jurisdictions, and ensure stable, long-term funding.
This is not just about fixing potholes or widening roads. This is about securing Canada’s economic future. Without federal vision and funding, Canada will continue to lag behind.
When governments fail to plan, businesses suffer, jobs are lost and Canada’s trade potential is wasted.
Ottawa must step up by: Establishing a long-term trade infrastructure strategy that prioritizes projects based on economic impact; committing stable, predictable funding; and working with provinces and industry.
But here is the reality: Canada lacks federal leadership. With the governing party distracted with choosing a new leader, and a general election that will come anytime between then and October, meaningful decision-making is effectively on hold for months to come.
Meanwhile, our competitors are not waiting. The U.S. is advancing its own tariff-driven agenda and global markets are shifting. The irony is inescapable: at the very moment when Canada needs strong federal leadership the most, we are stuck in a political holding pattern.
We cannot afford to let political uncertainty stall the investments our economy desperately needs. Ottawa must prove that it still has the vision and the will to build a stronger, more resilient Canada.
Matt Pitcairn is president of the 小蓝视频 Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association.
