The 2019 Transportation in Canada Overview Report provides an overview of the transportation sector, highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses the challenges and performance of the system in 2019.
The Transportation in Canada 2019 Overview Report is now available online on the Transport Canada Website. The report gives an overview of the Canadian transportation sector and includes information on
- the importance of the transportation sector to the economy
- the performance of the transportation system from a multimodal perspective
- major industry and regulatory developments related to freight, passengers, safety, security and the environment for all modes of transportation.
The 2019 report also informs Canadians about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transportation demand, challenges faced by the transportation system and different measures taken by the Government of Canada to help alleviate those challenges.
Key report highlights
- The year 2019 was marked by slower economic growth than 2018 which translated into softer growth in transportation demand and reduced pressure on the system. This contributed to improved transportation performance indicators over the year.
- The system faced significant challenges in 2019, notably harsh weather conditions and a week-long strike at CN Rail which disrupted the flow of goods across Canada. Despite this, the system was able to adjust and operate at comparable levels to 2018, showing the resilience of the system.
- Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions increased overall due to increased traffic. However, there have been some notable improvements in each mode in terms of emission intensity.
- The number of accidents remained under or close to the 10 year average for all modes of transportation except rail which recorded a small increase in 2019.
A statistical addendum to this report is also available on demand at: TCAnnualReport-RapportannuelTC@tc.gc.ca.