Canada to diversify trade and double exports through the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy

DELTA, BC, July 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- Canada is a trading nation with a deep history of building strategic partnerships with nations whose customers value the quality and consistency of the goods we export. Goods that come from different sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and mining, from regions across the country. Canada has what the world wants, and Canadian businesses need modern, reliable and efficient infrastructure to get their products to customers and keep Canada competitive on the world stage.

Moving $1 billion in goods every day, the Port of Vancouver (the Port) is Canada's largest and most cargo-diverse port Connecting Canada to 170 markets, it is a critical trade gateway – handling 40 per cent of Canada's trade in goods beyond North America.  The Port's trade activities represent one in three dollars of Canada's non-U.S. trade, while contributing $16.3 billion to Canada's GDP every year, and supporting over 130,000 jobs nation-wide. The Port offers advantages that cannot be easily replicated elsewhere, including service from Class 1 railways, year-round access, proximity to Asia, and a well-developed local shipping ecosystem. Now is the time to build on those competitive advantages.

To meet Canada's growth and trade diversification objectives, including doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035, long-standing infrastructure constraints need to be addressed at the Port. We must build more and optimize existing infrastructure to grow the Port's capacity. Environmental protections that encompass the region will also support responsible growth at Canada's largest marine trading corridor.

Today the Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, announced the referral of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy (Gateway Strategy) to the Major Projects Office (MPO). This transformational strategy and associated pillars, including the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project (RBT2), reflect the type of nation-building infrastructure projects the Building Canada Act (the Act) aims to urgently advance to diversify and grow trade capacity, reach more global markets such as the fast-growing Indo-Pacific region, and drive economic growth.

The Gateway Strategy will focus on four key pillars to support capacity growth at the Port:

1. Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) – is being referred to the MPO for potential listing as a project of national interest under the Act to provide regulatory certainty and future financial success. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA)-led RBT2 is a proposed three-berth container terminal at Roberts Bank that would increase the Port's container capacity by 50 per cent enabling $100 billion of new container trade capacity annually, contribute over $3 billion to Canada's GDP per year, and support the creation of 17,000 ongoing jobs across the supply chain during operations.
   
   RBT2 has undergone more than a decade of regulatory reviews, including a robust environmental assessment approval process and consultation with Indigenous groups. The VFPA has Mutual Benefit Agreements in place with 27 First Nations. The Project completed a federal impact assessment in 2023, receiving key environmental approvals and is awaiting final permits. Listing allows the Minister of the One Canadian Economy to bring RBT2 under one single regulatory window.
   
   The MPO will immediately begin consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous communities, to inform the federal government's decision to potentially list RBT2 under the Act. Before making a determination regarding listing, a notice will be posted in the Canada Gazette.
   
   
2. Land Use and Infrastructure for Bulk Terminals – The Port hosts 29 major marine terminals, many of which handle Canada's most important exports, including grain, potash, petroleum products, and canola oil. Dry and liquid bulk account for approximately 70 per cent of total Port of Vancouver tonnage. To double non-U.S. trade by 2035, new land, modern terminals and other export-focused infrastructure needs to be built.
   
   The opportunity for Canada's exporters is now. On July 20, the VFPA will launch a process to select an operator for its 40-acre Fraser Wharves terminal site in Richmond – the first major terminal opportunity at the Port in a decade. The MPO may support VFPA with this process to ensure the project is efficiently advanced, while respecting Indigenous rights and safeguarding the environment.
   
   As part of the Land Use and Infrastructure for Bulk Terminals pillar, Alberta's West Coast Oil Pipeline (WCOP) proposal located in the Delta Area of B.C. will be reviewed and considered.
   
   Under the Gateway Strategy, the MPO and the VFPA will cooperate to identify similar opportunities for export terminal expansion.
   
   
3. Rail Infrastructure Optimization and Expansion – The majority of cargo moving through the Port is transported by rail. The current system requires investment to diversify Canada's trade. Without targeted expansions of the Port's rail infrastructure, Canada's transportation network will become congested, which increases shipping costs and reduces the competitiveness of Canadian businesses.
   
   In partnership with the railways, the MPO and Transport Canada are developing a rail infrastructure strategy to increase capacity and enhance supply chain efficiency, reliability, and resilience.
   
   
4. Environmental Protections – B.C. and Canada's robust environmental protections ensure that growth at the Port occurs responsibly. As part of the Spring Economic Update 2026: Canada Strong For All, the Government committed more than $258 million over five years to renew and enhance funding for protection of whales and their habitats. This includes $95 million over the next five years and $16.5 million on an annual basis to protect Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) and their habitat along B.C.'s coast, through enhanced SRKW (ESRKW) measures, delivered by Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Through the Oceans Protection Plan and the Whales Initiative, Canada has supported the survival and recovery of SRKW since 2016. These new investments build on this work and are in addition to strong 2026 management measures already in place. Together, these initiatives will continue to enhance whale protections by:

• • implementing and enforcing whale protection measures, such as vessel speed restrictions, fisheries management measures, and marine mammal incident response;
  • continuing research and funding for whale surveillance and detection systems, such as acoustic monitoring;
  • implementing a new, regional noise monitoring and management program in the Salish Sea;
  • enhancing collaboration with industry and partners through the VFPA-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program, including funding for large commercial vessel slowdowns, and to support development and testing of new underwater noise reduction approaches;
  • working with B.C. Ferries to accelerate the adoption of quieting technologies, with the aim of reducing underwater radiated noise by up to 50 per cent on their vessels in the Salish Sea, and entering into a Species at Risk Act, section 11 Conservation Agreement to support the recovery of at-risk whale species;
  • funding research, development and demonstration projects to reduce underwater noise from vessels; and
  • continuing and increasing funding for Indigenous participation in projects and activities that address the impacts of underwater vessel noise on the marine environment.

This funding complements the Government's announcement of $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) to enable continued protection and recovery of wild Pacific Salmon stocks. Through the $3.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, the Government has partnered with Indigenous and coastal communities to develop a world-leading marine safety system that meets the unique needs of Canada and B.C.

As reinforced in the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, the federal government will support coastal protection and address key threats to the marine ecosystem, including salmon and at-risk whales, as part of achieving its trade diversification agenda.

Quotes

"Canada needs modern transportation infrastructure that helps our businesses compete, gets Canadian goods to new markets, and creates good jobs across the country. By investing in our ports and transportation network, we are growing our economy, strengthening our supply chains, while protecting the environment."

The Honourable Steven MacKinnon
Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 

"The Gateway Strategy reflects the type of nation-building infrastructure projects the Building Canada Act aims to advance. Grounded in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, it will drive Canada's efforts to diversify our trading partners and increase our capacity to export to global markets, while delivering substantial economic benefits for Canadians."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy

"The Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy will strengthen Canada's Pacific trade corridor while creating jobs, attracting investment, and driving long-term growth. It demonstrates that environmental stewardship and shared economic prosperity are not competing priorities, they go hand in hand in building a stronger future for Indigenous Nations, Delta, British Columbia and Canada as a whole."

The Honourable Jill McKnight
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

"As Canada's largest port, we know we're going to play an outsized role in delivering on Prime Minister Carney's commitment to double exports to markets outside of North America. Today's announcement will help the Port of Vancouver and our partners get game-changing projects like Roberts Bank Terminal 2 built, and move more of what Canadians make, mine, harvest and grow to more customers around the world."

Peter Xotta
President and CEO, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Quick Facts

• On July 2, 2026, the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia (B.C.) announced a Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, a commitment to pursue a series of actions to grow the B.C. and Canadian economies, fund public services that all Canadians rely on, and diversify our trade relationships. This includes the federal government's commitment to revitalize B.C.'s ports and throughways.
• The Port of Vancouver handles more cargo than the next five largest Canadian ports combined and facilitates $350 billion in trade with 170 countries.
• The Port hosts over 20 dry and liquid bulk terminals and is Canada's leading port in exports of grain, potash, petroleum products and canola oil, among other products.
• The Port handles $1 in every $3 of Canadian trade in goods outside North America, contributes about $16.3 billion in GDP across Canada from coast to coast, and currently supports about 132,400 jobs in Canada with 103,000 of them in B.C.
• Today, the Port connects Canada to trade with up to 170 countries and moves more cargo than the next five largest Canadian ports combined. In 2025, the Port of Vancouver had a record year, handling 170.4 million metric tonnes of cargo, eight per cent higher than the previous record set in 2024.
• RBT2 would expand Canada's container-handling capacity, unlocking more than $100 billion in annual trade capacity and contributing over $3 billion annually to Canada's GDP. It would support 17,000 ongoing jobs across the supply chain during operations, and increase the Port of Vancouver's container capacity by 50 per cent.
• On July 13, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced its selection of TerraMarine as its construction partner to build the RBT2 landmass and wharf following a robust competitive procurement process. With respect to the future construction and operation of the terminal, the port authority and Global Container Terminals have entered into an MoU to explore partnership to advance RBT2 with the goal of achieving a joint operating and development agreement.
• On May 19, 2026 the Government of Canada made an investment of $258.1 million to protect whales, including $95 million over the next five years and $16.5 million on an annual basis for enhanced Southern Resident killer whales (ESRKW) protection measures.
• The Government's announcement of $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) to enable continued protection and recovery of wild Pacific Salmon stocks.
• The Government of Canada established the Major Projects Office to bring business development and project execution expertise to accelerate nation-building projects and advance transformative strategies that will help build a stronger, more independent and resilient economy for Canada.
• Transformative strategies are early-stage initiatives or concepts specific to a region or sector that align with national priorities such as growth, security, market diversification, and reconciliation. They have the potential to significantly strengthen Canada's economy but require further development before specific projects can proceed.
• The Building Canada Act was introduced as part of the One Canadian Economy Act to expedite regulatory processes for projects determined to be in the national interest and help ensure that projects of national interest can move forward efficiently.

Related products

• Backgrounder: Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy

Associated Links

• Major Projects Office
• Building Canada Act

SOURCE President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Marie-Justine Torres, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Ottawa, [email protected], 613-327-5918; Media relations: Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, [email protected]; Media Relations: Privy Council Office, 613-957-5420, [email protected]