As part of its Transportation 2030 policy goals to create safer, greener and more efficient transportation networks across Canada, Transport Canada is focusing on building and maintaining safe, efficient and connected cycling networks. As a result, the Department developed a bikeability model using multiple urban mobility indicators with an increased focus on safety. This model measures infrastructure readiness for enabling cycling as a safe and efficient commuting option.

Transport Canada co-funded initiatives to monitor trucking activity at port terminals within three of Canada’s busiest container ports in Vancouver, Montréal and Halifax as part of its Transportation 2030 policy goals to promote more efficient use of transportation networks across Canada.

The Pre-load Air Cargo Targeting (PACT) pilot is an exciting project led by Transport Canada’s Aviation Security Directorate. The project uses air cargo data sent from freight forwarders and air carriers to identify high-risk shipments before they are loaded onto an aircraft coming to Canada. Since 2012, the Aviation Security Directorate has been working hard to develop the concepts to make this pilot successful.

Addition of household transportation to the 2014 Canadian Transportation Economic Account

Transportation is a major driver of the Canadian economy. Most of our goods are moved between markets by one or several modes of transportation (air, rail, water, pipeline and trucks). Passenger movements across Canada and internationally are also critical for the nation’s economic health.

The Canadian Freight Analysis Framework (CFAF) provides a picture of freight flows across the country by geography, commodity and mode of transportation. Estimates are available by tonnage, value and tonne-kilometres. The database can be used to analyze a number of transportation-related matters, such as highway capacity, traffic forecasting, investments in infrastructure and trade flows.

Transport Canada's safety and security programs provide a broad range of activities. These include regulatory authorizations, such as the issuance of certificates and licenses to people, organizations or for equipment; compliance verifications through inspections and audits; and enforcement actions in response to non-compliance. They also include education and outreach activities targeting key stakeholders, such as regulatory bodies, as well as the general public.

The report Transportation in Canada 2018 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.

Key report highlights

North American Transportation Statistics (NATS) is a trilateral initiative of American, Canadian and Mexican agencies responsible for transport policy (i.e., the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transport Canada and the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes) and statistics (i.e., the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics Canada and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía). Transport regulatory reform was part of a larger effort to usher in new trade agreements.

Canadian society and the Canadian economy are becoming increasingly data-driven. In response and as part of an effort to modernize, Statistics Canada has embarked on a journey to ensure that Canadians receive the data they need, when they need them. This journey involves using leading methods and integrating alternative data sources to produce more user-centric information products. A recent organizational change at Statistics Canada exemplifies this user-centric focus.

As society becomes increasingly data-driven, Canadians now expect to receive statistical information in a more accessible form. The Transportation Data and Information Hub was designed to gather and deliver transportation-related statistics in a user-friendly and interactive manner. Since April 2019, the Hub has featured an interactive dashboard with statistics on air (both aircraft movements and airport activity), fuel sales and international travellers.