Warning of a looming labor shortage and aging icebreaker fleet, the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is calling on the federal government to prioritize the marine sector to safeguard Canada’s trade goals and G7 economic standing. “This is a critical juncture for Canada and for the government because they are focused on building the strongest economy in the G7,” said Jason Card, CMC’s vice-president of external affairs.
Federal Kumano unloads cargo at Wharf 12 in Port Colborne last week. [Welland Tribune]
Card said the chamber, a binational, private-sector, non-profit association representing marine industry stakeholders throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, is calling on the federal government to:
• Prioritize marine shipping within the $5-billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund and $1-billion Arctic Infrastructure Fund.
• Fund marine training schools and provide an enabling policy environment to address immediate labour shortages and structural barriers to workforce development.
• Follow through on 2025 budget commitments to identify more ports of first arrival, allowing the Canada Border Services Agency to clear foreign containers at more locations.
• Accelerate the construction of new Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers to ensure reliable services and support an extended shipping season on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system.
Regarding the four asks, Card said that while prioritizing them is challenging, the workforce issue stands out. He said Canadian Marine Careers Foundation found at least 30 per cent of the workforce will retire by 2029, leaving 8,300 vacancies across the marine industry.
“There are only a handful of specialized schools that produce the students needed. The situation we face right now is akin to knowing about the doctor and nursing shortage before it happened and being able to do something about it.”
Card said one of the investments CMC is suggesting for those specialized schools, such as Georgian College, is in simulators. The cost and maintenance of the units are high. “It’s something in the order of $300,000 a year or more just to maintain and update the software and keep the licences to maintain those simulators.”
He said seafaring is a rewarding career with high-paying jobs. Having more industry-trained workers also helps fortify Canada’s supply chain, on which the nation relies. “More than 80 per cent of what consumers and businesses need comes to them by vessel. Any loss in talent affects both the economy and our ability to have the basic things we need to sustain society.”
The marine industry has invested billions over the last several years in everything from vessels to infrastructure. All of that has been done to maintain and enhance the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Arctic and coastal marine shipping. Those investments have contributed to the 99.5 per cent reliability of the most sustainable trade conduit in North America, said Card.
“There is capacity and opportunity to grow traffic on the Great Lakes. At this time, that capacity should be of pivotal interest to a federal government that wants to strengthen internal trade and trade to new nations. Our sector should be prioritized, especially with respect to pursuing short sea shipping and increased movements of energy products. There are a lot of opportunities where investments can be made to help us diversify trade.”
Another way to increase trade on the lakes is to grant Canada Border Services Agency support to six ports along the lakes — Quebec City; Valleyfield, Que., and Picton, Hamilton, Windsor and Goderich in Ontario.
A report by Aviseo Strategy + Economy — Unlocking the potential of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System: Economic analysis of container reception services in six Eastern Canadian ports — last year showed allowing the ports to receive and clear foreign containers would generate regional economic development of at least $130 million. It would also generate as much as $80 million in additional tax revenue.
Card said in 2025, the federal government said it would examine other ports, which CMC favours.
“The more ports we enable, the more economic development we support and the stronger our supply chains become. Right now, there is still no port of first arrival in the GTA area, which is unthinkable, really. So we look forward to further announcements in this regard, and we commend the government on this first one, which we hope will be the first of many.”
CMC’s final ask is for the federal government to accelerate the building of new Coast Guard icebreakers. “We saw the worst ice conditions in about a dozen years at the end of the shipping season. We need to make sure our trade is reliable and the system is resilient to inclement weather.”
Card said extreme ice conditions can disrupt trade on the lakes in winter. More icebreakers on the lakes could also extend the shipping season. Canada and the U.S. share icebreaking duties on the lakes, helping wherever needed. Canada, the U.S. and Finland signed a pact to design, build and maintain advanced Arctic and polar icebreakers, which was good news, said Card.
Dave Johnson/Welland Tribune
