Report Documents Value of Canadian Shipping

A new study commissioned by Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping and conducted by the Council of Canadian Academies, concludes that marine shipping is of great value to Canadians in all regions.

The study, The Value of Commercial Marine Shipping to Canada, demonstrates that no Canadians’ life is untouched by marine shipping. Canada differs from most countries in that it both exports and imports large volumes of the same bulk commodities, including oil, coal and iron ore. This reflects geographic size and related transportation costs.

Overall, marine shipping is responsible for about one percent of total Canadian GHG emissions and is the least GHG emission-intensive (per ton-km) mode of transportation.

“When examining the contentious issues that surround marine shipping today, it is easy to overlook the aspects of our day-to-day lives that depend on it,” said Peter Ellis, Executive Director of Clear Seas. “It is my hope that when Canadians reflect on marine shipping that they do so in an informed way and by weighing both the risks and benefits.

“This study helps contextualize how marine shipping influences everything from the choices that Canadian consumers make through to how prairie farmers get their goods to market,” added Ellis. “Broadly, it challenges us to consider how marine shipping is indispensable to our lives and the country’s prosperity.”

The report documents that the national impact of marine shipping is equal to approximately 1.8 percent of the Canadian economy, or about $30 billion. Nationally, marine shipping transports about 20 percent of Canadian exports and imports by dollar value, and by carrying more than $200 billion of goods to and from global markets annually marine shipping is essential to international trade.

The report is available here.