Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1

Excellency:

It is with great pleasure that I submit for your attention, the seventh Annual Report on the state of transportation in Canada. This report is produced in conformity with the statutory requirements spelled out in Section 52 of the Canada Transportation Act.

This report, and the six previous ones, provides useful information to understand the challenges identified in Straight Ahead, the vision document on the future of our transportation system that I released earlier this year. Straight Ahead proposes for our transportation system a visionary framework to embrace to maintain prosperity and quality of life over the next decade and beyond as well as strategic directions to address key issues and specific legislative proposals in certain areas.

The report gives an overview of trends and factors influencing the evolution of transportation needs, from those emanating from socio-economic demands, to the ones resulting from changes in market conditions, allowing a good understanding of the resulting challenges for our country’s transportation system. The report is a guide to understanding the demands placed on the Canadian transportation system and the pressures on its efficiency. The role and state of the transportation sector need to be assessed on an ongoing basis using the most recent information available on Canada’s transportation system.

Transportation is of fundamental importance to Canada as it supports and enables social and economic activities.

Yours sincerely,

Hon. David M. Collenette, P.C., M.P.