Clear Seas published its second report, produced by the Council of Canadian Academies, studying the value that Canadians receive from marine shipping. The study examines a scope that extends beyond economic impacts and draws conclusions about how marine shipping contributes much to Canadians’ daily lives, whether or not they live in coastal communities.
Overall, this study confirms how marine shipping’s contribution to the lives of Canadians and the Canadian economy is frequently underestimated.
Firstly, the report provides a general overview of the marine shipping and trade in Canada:
- Indigenous peoples engaged in marine trade for millennia before European settlement, and their long-standing routes shaped early colonial trade and port development.
- The marine export of fur, fish, and timber was central to early Canadian economic growth, environmental decline, and cultural loss.
- Domestic marine trade is widely but unevenly distributed across the country. Most of this trade is in a small number of bulk commodities such as forest products, iron ore, and crude oil.
- Marine shipping carries essential bulk commodities and general cargo to island, remote, and northern communities in Canada.
- Marine shipping transports 20% of Canadian exports and imports by value. This share has been stable since 2006.
- In 2015, marine trade was valued at $205 billion. About 80% of this trade is with countries outside North America.
- 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.
- Canada imports a diverse range of general cargo, including consumer goods, machinery and equipment, and intermediate imports, most of which is containerized. This is similar to other developed countries, reflecting integrated global supply chains.
Key findings
- The national economic impact of marine shipping is equal to approximately 1.8% of the Canadian economy or about $30 billion.
- Marine shipping transports about 20% of Canadian exports and imports by dollar value
- The GDP of Canada’s marine shipping industry is $3 billion
- The marine shipping industry in Canada is a direct and indirect source of income for nearly 100,000 jobs accounting for $4.6 billion in labour income
Conclusions
environmental, and security impacts tend be concentrated locally.
Further information may be found by reading the full report: