(OTTAWA, ON) Mr. Speaker,
Thank you for the opportunity to rise today to speak in support of Canada’s forest sector. Forestry is not only a cornerstone of our national economy, but also a critical solutions-provider for today’s top policy priorities, from housing affordability to rural development and employment, to wildfire resilience, and more.
This important sector that employs nearly 200,000 Canadians relies on efficient, reliable, and cost-effective transportation supply chains—from trucks and railways to ports—to move its products to domestic and global markets.
Forest Products Association Canada reports that the last five years have unfortunately highlighted the fragility of Canada's freight transportation networks, which have been affected by bottlenecks, limited investment, accidents, and frequent labour disruptions.
And tonight, I would like to address the matter of the fragility of our transportation network, particularly as it relates to the forestry sector and trucks transporting forest products that rely on the dangerous Trans-Canada Highway in northern Ontario.
First a bit of contextual information.
The average overland distance travelled by a forest product shipment is roughly 1200km, with most sawmills and pulp and paper mills being in remote, rural, and northern regions. About half of this is by rail, primarily long-distance hauls to the United States and to seaports for offshore export … and the other half is by trucks.
When rail service falters due to congestion, crew shortages, or strikes, trucking can only partially backstop the gap, given the sector’s scale and an already tight trucking market. It takes approximately 3 trucks to replace every boxcar (railcar type used for pulp and paper), and 4 trucks to replace every centrebeam (railcar type used for lumber and wood products).
If rail service were to cease entirely – as it did briefly in 2024 due to simultaneous work stoppages at CN and CPKC - the sector would require an additional 61,000 truckloads of wood products and 23,500 truckloads of pulp and paper per month to meet typical demand, capacity far beyond what the trucking industry can supply.
Nonetheless, such a disruption in 2024, highlights the importance of our trucks and our roads to bring product to market.
Mr. Speaker, in northern Ontario that would be along the more than 3,000 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway that includes Highways 11 and 17.
Unfortunately, these segments of the Trans-Canada Highway are just about the only remaining sections of the Trans-Canada Highway that are two lane highways. All trucks travelling east west from southern Ontario, eastern Canada or western Canada as they connect from Québec to Manitoba, or from Manitoba to Québec must do so along 2 lane highways.
This creates serious, national-level vulnerabilities and let me explain why.
Between January and September 2025, the North Bay–Cochrane section alone experienced:
- 762 hours of full closures
- the equivalent of 32 days without any movement of people or goods…40 days by year end…as there are no detour opportunities.
These highway disruptions affect northern Ontario’s forest sector with anywhere from 100 to 200 trucks entering and leaving northern Ontario mills daily. That’s a lot of truck traffic that gets affected by road accidents and road closures.
Add to that the other truck traffic. According to MTO, every day
- 8,400 trucks travel Highways 11 and 17
- carrying more than 87,000 tons of goods
- and by 2030, it is projected that trucks will represent 50% of all traffic along the roads.
These are not regional numbers. These are national supply chain numbers.
When a forestry shipment cannot move through northern Ontario, the entire country feels it. And our competitiveness with the United States suffers.
Mr. Speaker, that is why many organizations such as AMO, ROMA, FONOM, NOMA, EOWC, ORBA, OGRA, the OFA, First Nations partners and numerous private-sector companies have endorsed completing these highways. They have stated that doing so is a nation-building priority given its economic and trade importance.
A cost-effective solution has been proposed that calls on twinning Highways 11 and 17 with integrating 2+1 highway designs where appropriate. It would:
- reduce collisions and fatalities,
- lower emissions by reducing congestion and idling,
- improve reliability of national supply chains, and
- support major industries including forestry.
Conclusion
Mr. Speaker, although the safety and reliability of highways in northern Ontario fall partly under provincial jurisdiction, I nevertheless wanted to raise this issue here tonight because it is an important factor affecting the competitiveness and resilience of our national forestry sector.
Furthermore, the safety and reliability of supply chains in northern Ontario, across Canada, and the softwood lumber dispute are not separate issues. They are one and the same issue that ensures the strength of the Canadian economy.
In closing I would like to commend our government in its work to defend Canadian forest businesses and workers that are affected by U.S. tariffs. I am proud to be part of a government that will always defend Canada’s interests, and so what is best for Canadians and the Canadian economy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Pauline Rochefort
Member of Parliament / Député
Nipissing – Timiskaming