The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is pleased to provide the following submission on behalf of our members. The Chamber welcomes the Government of Canada’s efforts to strengthen Canada’s trade and transportation systems as part of building a more integrated and competitive Canadian economy.
Known as Canada’s energy headquarters, Calgary is also one of the country’s most important inland transportation and logistics hubs. Home to major energy producers, rail operators, transportation companies, agricultural exporters, manufacturers, technology firms, and financial institutions, Calgary plays a critical role in connecting Western Canadian products and services to domestic and international markets. Calgary is also served by the Calgary International Airport, one of Canada’s busiest cargo and passenger airports, and major hub for domestic and international travel. YYC has helped position Calgary among the most connected mid-sized cities in North America for passenger air service. The city also sits at the intersection of key rail, highway, pipeline, and electricity infrastructure corridors that support economic activity across the Prairies and beyond.
As Canada seeks to diversify trade, strengthen domestic supply chains, and improve economic resilience, efficient transportation and trade infrastructure will be essential. Canada’s ability to compete globally increasingly depends on its ability to move people, goods, energy, and information efficiently across provincial and international borders. While Canada possesses significant economic advantages, businesses continue to face delays, regulatory complexity, infrastructure constraints, and coordination challenges that increase costs, reduce competitiveness, and discourage investment.
Transportation infrastructure cannot be viewed in isolation. Trade corridors increasingly depend on reliable electricity infrastructure, telecommunications networks, utility connections, and energy systems. As Calgary continues to attract investment in industrial development, logistics, advanced manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and emerging sectors such as data centres and artificial intelligence, the need for integrated corridor planning and supporting infrastructure will continue to grow.
The Chamber supports the government’s objective of improving trade corridor performance, strengthening transportation networks, and reducing barriers that impede economic growth, investment and productivity.
Discussion Questions
Which proposed measures would have the greatest impact on making supply chains more efficient and reliable?
The measures likely to have the greatest impact are those that improve certainty and accelerate approvals for trade-enabling infrastructure. Transportation, energy, and utility infrastructure are interconnected systems that must be planned and developed together. Efficient supply chains depend not only on railways, ports, roads, and airports, but also on reliable electricity infrastructure, pipeline networks, telecommunications and industrial utility connections.
There is broad support for efforts to improve federal-provincial coordination, streamline permitting processes, reduce duplication, and accelerate approvals for infrastructure projects that strengthen domestic and international trade. Particular attention should be given to infrastructure that improves access to export markets, supports trade diversification, increases capacity at key transportation hubs, and improves connections between Western Canadian producers and domestic and international customers.
Furthermore, electricity infrastructure should be recognized as a critical trade-enabling asset. Increasingly, industrial facilities, logistics hubs, manufacturing operations, transportation infrastructure, data centres, and major projects depend on timely access to electrical capacity. In Alberta and other jurisdictions, growing grid constraints are emerging as a significant barrier to economic development. Future corridor planning should integrate transportation, energy, and electricity infrastructure to ensure projects have access to both construction and permanent power requirements.
Additionally, infrastructure crossing federal lands, national parks, and other federally regulated areas can face lengthy and uncertain approval processes. Modernizing these requirements and improving coordination between federal agencies could significantly improve project delivery timelines while maintaining environmental protection.
Where would reducing administrative burden most benefit your organization or sector?
Duplication between jurisdictions and overlapping regulatory requirements are a significant source of inefficiency. Administrative burden is particularly challenging when multiple regulators request similar information through separate processes or where project proponents must navigate multiple federal departments with unclear responsibilities. Businesses benefit most when requirements are coordinated, expectations are clearly defined, and regulators adopt a risk-based approach that is proportional to project complexity and impact.
There are also opportunities to streamline reviews for infrastructure expansions, upgrades, and projects located within existing rights-of-way where impacts are already understood and mitigation measures are well established. Particularly, brownfield expansions, upgrades within existing corridors and projects located on existing rights-of-way are frequently subjected to review processes that resemble those applied to greenfield developments. This can result in disproportionate regulatory requirements despite lower risk profiles and well-understood mitigation measures.
Applying a more proportional approach to existing infrastructure would reduce administrative burden, improve investment certainty, and accelerate the delivery of capacity expansions that are often essential to broader trade corridor performance. Reducing administrative burden should focus on eliminating redundant processes while maintaining strong environmental, safety, and Indigenous consultation standards.
What opportunities do you see to improve collaboration across trade corridors?
Canada would benefit from a more coordinated corridor-based approach to infrastructure planning. Trade corridors function as integrated systems that often cross provincial boundaries and involve multiple regulators, infrastructure owners, Indigenous communities, and industry participants. Improved collaboration requires greater alignment between federal, provincial, municipal, Indigenous, and industry partners throughout the planning and implementation process.
The federal government can play a leadership role by improving coordination across jurisdictions, supporting long-term infrastructure planning, and aligning investments with economic development priorities.
The proposed Federal Economic Zones (FEZ) are a potentially important step toward improving coordination and accelerating strategically significant infrastructure and trade-enabling projects. If implemented effectively, FEZ could support more integrated corridor planning, strengthen connections between infrastructure investment and economic development objectives and improve the efficiency of project delivery. However, their success will depend on clear governance, alignment with provincial and municipal priorities and ensuring they simplify rather than add to existing regulatory and planning processes.
Trade corridors ought to be viewed as integrated economic systems rather than individual transportation assets. Effective corridor planning should incorporate rail, ports, airports, highways, pipelines, transmission infrastructure, utility corridors, telecommunications infrastructure, and industrial development opportunities. A more coordinated approach would improve investment decisions, identify bottlenecks earlier, and support long-term economic growth.
Lastly, it is imperative that transportation planning is integrated with energy and electricity infrastructure planning, recognizing that future economic growth, industrial development, and trade expansion will increasingly depend on reliable access to power.
How can the government best partner with industry and Indigenous Peoples to support shared economic outcomes?
Strong partnerships require early, meaningful, and transparent engagement. Businesses support approaches that engage Indigenous communities early in project planning, provide clarity regarding consultation expectations, and create opportunities for long-term economic participation. Indigenous partnerships increasingly play a critical role in successful infrastructure and trade corridor development.
The federal government can support shared economic outcomes by improving coordination between departments, reducing duplication in engagement processes, supporting Indigenous capacity to participate effectively, and fostering opportunities for Indigenous ownership, procurement, employment, and long-term economic development. Industry also benefits from clear guidance and predictable processes that allow proponents to build relationships and address concerns early in project development.
Importantly, consultation and partnership should not be separated from economic reconciliation. The federal government should ensure Indigenous communities are supported to participate in the design, benefits, and governance of projects where appropriate.
Are there any concerns, risks or unintended impacts that should be considered during implementation?
The greatest implementation risk is that efforts to streamline project delivery inadvertently create new layers of administration rather than reducing complexity. Any new offices, committees, or coordinating bodies should have clearly defined mandates and be designed to eliminate duplication, improve accountability, and accelerate decision-making. Success should be measured by shorter timelines, greater certainty, and improved outcomes, not by the creation of additional governance structures.
Regulatory reform alone will not deliver results without corresponding changes to implementation. Clear accountability, performance expectations, and a shift toward risk-based decision-making are essential to ensure reforms are applied consistently across departments and agencies. There is also a risk that attention is focused primarily on large flagship projects, while smaller enabling infrastructure investments that are critical to trade corridor performance continue to face unnecessary delays.
Canada’s competitiveness depends on its ability to provide predictable and efficient pathways for investment. Capital is highly mobile, and prolonged uncertainty regarding permitting requirements, timelines, or jurisdictional responsibilities can delay or redirect investment to competing jurisdictions. While the proposed reforms represent a positive step, implementation must ultimately provide the certainty needed for businesses to move projects from planning to construction within predictable timelines.
How could the proposal be improved to reduce risks and support effective implementation?
The Chamber recommends that the Government of Canada:
- Establish clear accountability for project coordination and corridor development outcomes.
- Reduce duplication between federal departments and between federal and provincial processes.
- Adopt risk-based and proportional regulatory approaches that reflect project complexity and impact.
- Streamline approvals for upgrades, expansions, brownfield developments, and infrastructure within existing corridors and rights-of-way.
- Improve coordination between transportation, energy, utility, telecommunications, and economic development planning.
- Recognize electricity infrastructure and grid capacity as essential trade-enabling infrastructure within corridor planning and investment decisions.
- Modernize and streamline approval processes for infrastructure crossing federal lands and national parks while maintaining environmental and Indigenous consultation obligations.
- Support Indigenous participation through early engagement, capacity-building, and economic partnership opportunities.
- Develop measurable performance indicators and publicly report on progress toward improving corridor efficiency and project delivery.
- Ensure implementation focuses on practical outcomes, certainty, and competitiveness rather than the creation of additional administrative structures.
Conclusion
Transportation infrastructure cannot be considered in isolation from broader competitiveness challenges. Canada’s ability to attract investment depends on efficient regulatory processes, reliable infrastructure, predictable policy environments, and confidence projects can be approved and built within reasonable timelines.
We are encouraged by the federal government’s focus on economic growth, trade diversification, and infrastructure development. However, competitiveness will ultimately be measured not by the number of reforms announced, but by whether businesses can confidently invest, build, and expand in Canada. The opportunity before Canada is significant, but success will require coordinated implementation, regulatory discipline, and a sustained commitment to reducing barriers that impede investment and economic growth.
The Chamber supports the government’s efforts to strengthen Canada’s trade and transportation systems and encourages continued collaboration with industry and Indigenous partners to ensure reforms deliver meaningful improvements in competitiveness, investment attraction, and economic growth.
About the Calgary Chamber of Commerce
The Calgary Chamber exists to empower our business community to advance a prosperous Calgary and Canada. As the convenor and catalyst for a vibrant, inclusive and prosperous business community, the Chamber works to build strength and resilience among its members and position Calgary as a magnet for talent, diversification and opportunity. As an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1891, we build on our history to serve and advocate for businesses of all sizes, in all sectors across the city.
