Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our report on the national trade corridors fund, which was tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2024.

I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Joining me today are David Norman, the principal responsible for the audit, and Susie Fortier, the director who led the audit team.

This audit examined the design and implementation of the national trade corridors fund, which is intended to improve the movement of goods across the country by strengthening the network of roads, rails, airports and seaports.

The fund was launched in 2017 with an initial budget of $1.9 billion. This budget was later expanded and currently stands at $4.6 billion.

At the time of our audit, Transport Canada approved $3.8 billion to fund 181 transportation projects for completion by 2028.

Overall, we found that Transport Canada did a good job in designing and implementing the fund. The department collected and used evidence on the state and performance of transportation corridors to identify bottlenecks and other fluidity constraints. This evidence-based approach supported the selection of projects to address infrastructure gaps.

However, weaknesses in the way Transport Canada monitored and reported on performance made it difficult to determine whether the projects were having the desired effects. Infrastructure programs, such as the national trade corridors fund, take years to deliver results. Since time is running out, it is all the more important to have a rigorous system to track performance so that Transport Canada can determine the extent to which the fund has contributed to improving freight transportation.

We would now be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.