Transport committee  I think, as I mentioned, that it's creating that additional infrastructure, that pipeline, if you will—be it road or rail infrastructure—leading to and from ports. Ultimately, it's important to remember that 70% of everything we trade here is moved by rail from the west coast. Making sure that our rail system is resilient and can support the growth of the supply chain is of the utmost importance.

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the committee for inviting me to appear before you. I'm the vice-president of public affairs at GCT Global Container Terminals, headquartered in Vancouver. We are the largest majority-Canadian owned container terminal in the country, and we are a tenant of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

International Trade committee  Sure. Again, we're not the experts in containers themselves. Our job is to move them and to make sure that they spend the least amount of time possible in our terminals. I can speak anecdotally from what we've seen: yes, we've seen certain shipping lines invest in lighter containers and use different materials, particularly in the interior and the insulation of the containers.

International Trade committee  I think last year, the largest growth in exports from Canada was in air, because the empty containers were going back to Asia at rates—as you heard from Mr. Wilson—that were extremely beneficial to the ocean carriers. Of course, they were incentivized to bring those containers back and move them back.

International Trade committee  I really can't comment on Roberts Bank terminal 2, other than to say that from our perspective, it is not the most effective solution for Canada's needs. On the rail infrastructure expansion, I think our colleague from CN Rail would be better to explain that.

International Trade committee  Thank you. From a container terminal perspective, I echo what's been said. We've seen a move from just-in-time delivery to just-in-case delivery. That mind shift has further exacerbated the challenge in the supply chain, with over-ordering congesting the warehouses, etc., which you heard about from other presenters today.

International Trade committee  Of course, as I mentioned, our terminals are connected to the rail lines. If the rail lines are blockaded, after a significant amount of time, as you heard, everything backs up onto terminals. Terminals are not intended to be warehouses. That's where supply chain challenges occur.

International Trade committee  Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to be with you today as you continue your important study. My name is Marko Dekovic, and I'm the vice-president of public affairs at GCT Global Container Terminals. I am speaking to you today from the traditional and treaty territories of the Coast Salish people in British Columbia.

Transport committee  There is no issue with container terminal capacity or shortage thereof, but as you said, there is a shortage of the physical containers that some Canadian exporters may want to use. The challenge there, as I mentioned, is the extreme consumer demand pressure of the North American market, which is resulting in ocean carriers and exporters from Asia evacuating containers to Asia more rapidly without having had a chance to go into a cycle of the supply chain here, where they may get stuff—be it somewhere in Ontario from a manufacturing facility, somewhere in western Canada with grain products or specialty crops, or British Columbia for lumber.

Transport committee  Are you talking about—

Transport committee  I'm not an expert on container manufacturing, but I would say that, with the time it would take, it would probably be too late. By that time, the system will have normalized itself.

Transport committee  Thank you for that question. I would say it's a short-term challenge. As I mentioned in my testimony, the number of full containers moving out of our ports was down by 2%, but probably there was about a 50% increase in empty containers moving out. That is due to the imbalance in the supply chain.

Transport committee  Thanks for your question. I assume you're referring to the barge in English Bay, the barge that beached itself—

Transport committee  There are vessels in anchorages in the port of Vancouver that you would see in English Bay. There are a variety of vessels, mostly bulk ships. There are some container ships. I really can't comment much on the bulk carriers, but on the container ships, yes, there are about a dozen or so vessels that are backed up across all terminals.

Transport committee  In my opinion, local drayage issues have been solved, largely due to the collaboration between provincial and federal authorities. We have, for a while now, implemented a truck reservation system. There are also payments made by terminal operators to trucking operators if we take too long to process.