Meetings and Events 2007

November 13, 2007

The Private Sector Advisory Committee is the formal forum for private sector engagement. Twenty-four senior executives representing all modes of transportation and shippers, as well as other key stakeholders attended the first meeting held in Toronto on November 13, 2007.

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On July 30, 2007, the governments of Canada, Ontario and Quebec signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the development of an Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.

This event followed the 2006 Cooperation Protocol signed by Ontario and Quebec to promote the development of the Ontario-Quebec Trade Corridor and to improve its efficiency in all modes, while the federal government was developing its National Policy Framework for Strategic Gateways and Trade Corridors.

The goal of the federal-provincial partnership is to maintain and build upon Ontario and Quebec’s world-class transportation system so that it remains a key driver of international trade and economic growth for the future.

The Continental Gateway initiative is focused on developing a sustainable, secure and efficient multimodal transportation system that keeps Canada’s economic heartland competitive, attractive for investment and essential for trade.

Over the next two years, Ontario, Quebec and the federal government will work with the private sector and other key public sector stakeholders to develop a comprehensive infrastructure, policy, and regulatory strategy with recommendations for the short, medium and longer term - to support international trade through the Continental Gateway.