Minister of Transport participates in the 2022 Summit of the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany

 LEIPZIG, Germany, May 20, 2022 /CNW/ - The global COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, have disrupted supply chains across the world and have had a real impact on the daily lives of all Canadians. Building relationships with global leaders provides different perspectives and solutions to common problems leaders are facing across the world.

This week, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, took part in the 2022 Summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) held in Leipzig, Germany.

Minister Alghabra met with several partners:

• He met with international counterparts, including ministers from Germany, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom to advance Canada's Safer Skies Initiatives, discuss next steps related to the PS752 shoot-down, and to enhance cooperation and share lessons learned, including how to restore disrupted supply chains.
• He also met with business leaders to advance Canadian interests and reiterate the important role that transportation plays in supporting an efficient and competitive trade environment in Canada and abroad.
• In his meeting with his counterpart from Ukraine, both ministers discussed the importance of Canada's resolve to help the Ukrainian people, and commitment to rebuild Ukraine after the war.

The Minister of Transport also participated in several events:

• Minister Alghabra presented Canada's approach to recovering from the global pandemic, and how to best mitigate its impact on the supply chain. He also heard good practices in this area from other countries.
• The Minister presented Canada's role in supporting the development of a toolkit to help governments and organizations incorporate gender considerations in the development of transport projects, planning and policies.
• Minister Alghabra participated in a ministerial roundtable on the Russia's unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine.
• He represented Canada at the release of a joint Call to Action for the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military aggression and to withdraw to its own borders. The Call to Action also calls for the ITF to use its expertise and analytical skills to assist in the rebuilding of Ukraine's transport system and infrastructure, and for all countries and their international transport communities to speak out in support.

Finally, Minister Alghabra and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Transport, the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, also officially signed the Open Skies-type air transport agreement between Canada and the United Kingdom to support tourism, trade and investment between the two countries. This signing is an important step in the ratification process of the agreement.

Quote

"This week, I had the opportunity to meet with my international counterparts and with business leaders to discuss issues and opportunities that are important for Canada, such as innovative solutions to build more resilient supply chains.

The ITF Summit also provided an effective platform to bring focus to the devastating effects that Russia's attacks have had on transportation networks, infrastructure, and supply chains, and the need for the international community to work together on solutions. Like many other countries, Canada stands with the brave and resilient people of Ukraine and strongly condemns Russia and Belarus for this unprovoked and unjustifiable military invasion."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport 

Quick Facts

• The International Transport Forum's annual Summit is the world's largest gathering of transport ministers and brings together over 1,400 participants from more than 80 countries, including transportation ministers, senior executives from the public and private sectors, industry stakeholders, top researchers, and members of the international media.
• The theme of this year's Summit is Transport for inclusive societies.
• The United Kingdom is Canada's fifth largest two-way air travel market.
• The Canada-United Kingdom air transport agreement was reached under Canada's Blue Sky Policy, which encourages long-term, sustainable competition and the development of international air services.
• Under the Blue Sky Policy, the Government of Canada has concluded new or expanded air transport agreements covering 107 countries.
• The air transport agreement with United Kingdom, will allow any number of Canadian and British air carriers to operate between both countries, and gives those airlines full flexibility on route selection (including via third countries), frequency of service, and pricing. 
• The agreement also includes unrestricted rights for all-cargo services as well as code-share services (when an air carrier sells seats on a flight operated by another carrier).

Associated Links

• Joint declaration: Call to Action on Ukraine
• Gender Analysis Toolkit for Transport Policies

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SOURCE Transport Canada

Laurel Lennox, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [email protected]; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, [email protected], 613-993-0055