The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening engagement with Indigenous and local communities as part of broader efforts to strengthen the safety of Canada's railway system and advance reconciliation.
Canadians have made it clear that they want clean air, good jobs and lower bills. The Government of Canada continues to deliver on these priorities by making zero-emission vehicles more affordable to help reduce pollution, create more well-paying jobs, and build a cleaner world for generations to come.
The last few years have underscored the crucial role airports play in supporting essential air services. By ensuring community resupply, air ambulance, search and rescue, and forest fire response, airports contribute to keeping Canadians safe and connected from coast to coast to coast.
Canadians rely on a strong air sector to keep their communities connected and get them the essential goods they need on time. Expanding Canada’s existing air transport relationships allows airlines to introduce more flight options, giving passengers and businesses more choice.
The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, today announced appointments and reappointments in the transportation sector. The appointees come from diverse backgrounds, with experience in a number of fields, and they are active members in their communities. They bring a wide array of knowledge and expertise to their transportation positions.
The pandemic highlighted the important role Canada’s airports play in our country’s economy and in sustaining the social and economic well-being of our communities. As Canada’s air sector continues to recover, investments in airport infrastructure are crucial to ensuring that Canadian travellers have access to safe and reliable air transportation options.
The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, Mr. Mark Laroche, and the Member of Parliament for Ottawa South, the Honourable David J. McGuinty, will announce new funding for important transportation infrastructure projects at the airport.
Ensuring that Canadians have access to safe, efficient and reliable air travel is a top priority for the Government of Canada. This past summer demonstrated how much work remains to be done to ensure a strong recovery of the sector and the ongoing need for collaboration between partners. It is only by continuing to improve that we can grow the industry and our economy, create good jobs for Canadians, and ensure reliable service for travellers.
A resilient rail transportation system is critical to strong supply chains and keeping those who live along rail lines safe. Recent events like the 2021 wildfires and floods have shown the impacts climate change and extreme weather events can have on communities and our transportation networks. We must continue to adapt and prepare for these impacts. This is why the Government of Canada is taking important steps towards addressing climate change on railway infrastructure.
The Gitga’at and Gitxaala Nations have occupied the lands and waters around their coastal communities of Hartley Bay and Kitkatla, on the North Pacific Coast of what is now called Canada, for millennia. Their use of the waterways to travel to and access fishing and marine harvesting areas is a key facet of their rich culture and history. That is why ensuring those activities can continue is essential to maintaining their cultural, social, and economic wellbeing. In that context, increased use of those waterways for commercial marine transportation, a mainstay of Canada’s economy, can present challenges.