The Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest gateway to global markets, ranks 389th out of 403 container ports worldwide in the World Bank and S&P Global’s 2024 Container Port Performance Index.

This week, a mechanical failure on the Second Narrows rail bridge, the only rail link to the Port’s North Shore terminals, disrupted traffic and exposed the fragility of a critical trade corridor. At the same time, the Bank of Canada has warned: “Canada’s weak productivity has persisted for 25 years. We’re less productive than other major economies, and that gap has widened since 2000, especially with the United States.”

These are not isolated incidents.

They reflect a broader structural challenge: Canada’s supply chains are underperforming, and the consequences are constraining national growth.

Canada’s geography makes moving goods inherently complex. Many industries depend on reliable transportation networks to remain competitive.

Fertilizer is a clear example. Most production occurs in Western Canada, and 75 per cent of fertilizer shipped in Canada moves by rail. The industry relies on the entire supply chain, ports, railways and trucks, to reach farmers and global markets. When these systems function efficiently, they support food production, exports, and economic growth. When they do not, the consequences are immediate and costly.

Fertilizer exports to the United States move primarily by........

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