Formulating an integrated national transportation strategy

This paper is one of several that have been prepared for a Transportation Policy Conference in Calgary, November 28-29, 2011 on "Reforming Canada's Transportation Policies for the 21st Century." Based on the Conference's goal that Canada needs a transportation strategy that is "national, inclusive and comprehensive", the purpose of this paper is to address the question of whether or not such a strategy is a realistic option for Canada. As stated in the Conference notes, the Canada Transportation Act "is neither national nor comprehensive modally" and "it is a creature of jurisdictional powers [which] ignores roads and the range of vehicles and businesses that use them". But this fact may be an outcome of insurmountable realities of the Canadian geography, structure of governance (particularly, the challenges and benefits of federalism) and the vast diversity of transportation needs as evidenced in rural and small urban centres versus major metropolitan areas.