As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada ensure sufficient, timely and ongoing communication with Canadians affected by supply chain disruptions resulting from work stoppages occurring within the federal jurisdiction, including at ports.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada expeditiously adopt policies and implement measures that would ensure that Canada’s trade-related infrastructure, including the country’s ports, is adequate and well maintained. In developing policies and measures, the Government should work with representatives of business trade associations and organized labour groups to identify the best means by which state-of-the-art technologies can be integrated into this infrastructure with due consideration given to resulting employment consequences.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada continue to recognize the right of negotiating parties to engage in a work stoppage as a legitimate part of the collective bargaining process, and review relevant federal legislation with the goal of ensuring that decision makers are at the bargaining table. Such a review could include examination of section 34 of the Canada Labour Code.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada acknowledge that significant delays in transporting goods using Canada’s critical trade-related infrastructure, such as ports, have negative implications for the domestic affordability of food.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada consult Canadian firms and groups representing organized labour to identify Canada’s ports of entry and trade corridors that are considered to be part of the country’s critical trade-related infrastructure. Following this identification, the Government should develop response plans to be implemented if a labour disruption occurs at these ports of entry or in relation to these trade corridors.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada implement measures designed to enhance its leadership role in coordinating with stakeholders when responding to labour disruptions that affect critical trade-related infrastructure.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada improve the performance of Canada’s ports by immediately implementing measures aimed at enhancing their efficiency and reliability. Particular efforts should be directed to the Port of Vancouver, which had a global ranking of 347^th out of 348 ports in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index for 2022.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada immediately implement measures designed to improve Canada’s global infrastructure ranking, which—in 2008—was 10^th among 134 jurisdictions regarding the quality of overall infrastructure and—in 2019—was 32^nd among 141 jurisdictions concerning transportation infrastructure. As part of these efforts, the Government should allocate resources to enhance trade-related infrastructure at Canada's ports, including the Port of Vancouver.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada acknowledge the immediate need to complete construction of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 at the Port of Vancouver, which is expected to increase the Port’s capacity by 1.6 million containers and thereby improve efficiency and operational capabilities. To that end, the Government should implement measures designed to shorten drastically the current estimated 20-year timeline for the terminal’s completion.