The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, wrapped up a successful trip representing Canada at the G7 Transport Ministers' Meeting in Ise-Shima, Japan, from June 16 to 18, 2023.
At the Transport G7, members sought to increase innovation to achieve accessible and sustainable transportation. Minister Alghabra discussed actions to increase supply chain resiliency and reduce pollution, and took the opportunity to showcase Canada's vision to G7 partners and discuss priorities that align with Canada's transportation interests. Specifically, Minister Alghabra advanced initiatives to support supply chain resiliency across the G7 by increasing coordination and proposed establishing Green Shipping Corridors between Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Minister Alghabra met bilaterally with his counterparts from Japan, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, during which he discussed areas of cooperation between Canada and our allies to achieve net-zero goals and reduce pollution in the air and marine sectors. Minister Alghabra also highlighted initiatives to build sustainable supply chains for future generations across the G7. These included supply chain resilience, increasing the availability and use of sustainable aviation fuels, and establishing green shipping corridors to reduce pollution in the marine sector. He also discussed improving transport accessibility by unifying standards for a safe and respectful experience for passengers among G7 countries.
Ministers concluded their meetings by issuing a joint declaration to reaffirm the importance of accessible, clean, and efficient transportation systems as well as strong supply chains. Ministers recognize that new and innovative approaches and greater collaboration are essential in meeting these goals. As part of this declaration, and under Canada's leadership, Ministers also agreed to explore a G7 working group on supply chain resilience.
During Minister Alghabra's meeting with Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, he reiterated Canada's unwavering support for Ukraine against Russia's illegal war of agression. The Ministers discussed how Canada is helping meet immediate and long-term transportation needs for Ukraine's sustainable future. Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov briefed Minister Alghabra on damage caused by the Nova Kakhovka dam destruction. During a dedicated session on this topic, G7 Ministers expressed their condemnation of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine as well as concerns on impacts globally, including on global energy security, and discussed G7 coordination on reconstruction of transportation infrastructure to help the Ukrainian people. Minister Alghabra reiterated that Canada is committed to collaborative actions to limit the impacts from the global energy crisis triggered by this war in order to support vulnerable and affected countries.
