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5/1/2023
Canadian railroads remained reliable despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chain, the Railway Association of Canada reports in a new paper.
Titled "Strengthening All Links: Building More Resilient, Fluid Supply Chains in Canada," the paper examines two supply chains of critical importance to the Canadian economy: exporters and consumers, RAC officials said in a press release.
End-to-end transit time of containerized consumer goods from Shanghai to Ontario and Quebec, Canada, increased by 13.8 days, or 52%, from 2019 to 2022, the paper states. However, the end-to-end transit time for Saskatchewan grain to reach Chinese markets in 2022 decreased by one day compared to 2019.
Railroads were the strongest contributor to the reduction in end-to-end transit time, the report states. The transit time increase from China to Canada was attributed to activities at sea and port, before goods were loaded onto a rail car.
The report was released in support of RAC's opposition to certain measures in the Canadian federal government's proposed 2023 budget, including extended interswitching and a ban on replacement workers. Those measures would threaten to weaken the nation's supply-chain links, RAC officials claimed.
"Again and again, Canadian railways and railroaders have delivered despite real challenges," said RAC President Marc Brazeau. "This report should make clear to policymakers that the focus now must be on tangible actions to bolster supply chains, not inefficient economic regulation."