SHIFTING THE NEEDLE

Canadian supply chain associations are hard at work in 2023

Do you know what Canadian industry associations are doing to improve business conditions in 2023? Here’s a primer on what some of the major industry groups are tackling this year.

Canadian International Freight Forwarders (CIFFA)

Bruce Rogers, President

Mandate

CIFFA was founded in 1948 and represents some 300 member firms from the largest global multi-national freight forwarding companies, freight brokerage businesses and drayage firms to small and medium sized Canadian companies. It advocates for these members, and provides shippers with a list of freight forwarding companies that operate according to Standard Trading Conditions and abide by a strict code of business ethics.

Today’s challenges

The most significant challenges facing our sector are a lack of infrastructure to serve the needs of Canada’s supply chain in terms of fluidity, reliability and resiliency, and the resulting costs arising from backlogs, disruptions and bureaucratic delays. The supply chain sector also faces challenges in terms of available data and transparency, as the sector remains siloed. CIFFA continues to work on collaborative relationships with our association partners and supply chain stakeholders, bringing all players together for important conversations where local issues can be discussed and resolved, even while global factors cannot always be controlled.

2023 Priorities

Our top priorities in 2023 are to continue to escalate member concerns around rising costs and competition concerns due to detention and demurrage charges. We will continue to raise the profile of CIFFA at all levels of government and will continue to lobby on existing regulatory and competition policies as well as on emerging issues as they arise. We will push for the go-ahead on infrastructure projects that are bogged down in approvals processes. We have commenced a strong outreach program across Canada, going out to existing members and member prospects to talk about what CIFFA is doing on the advocacy front, what education, training and certification we offer, and what benefits and opportunities CIFFA members can enjoy. We will continue our strong tradition of relationship-building, being proactive and not reactive, and keeping abreast of work being advanced domestically and internationally through various committees, on matters involving air cargo, marine cargo, rail, trucking, customs and trade. And of course, as 2023 is our 75th anniversary, we will be celebrating that milestone at regional gala dinners and golf events.

Recent wins

We are proud of the work we have done to raise CIFFA’s profile and member issues before the federal Supply Chain Task Force in response to the Task Force Final Report. We are also pleased to have appeared twice before the House of Commons of Canada’s Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, both in view of its study on Anticipated Labour Shortages in the Canadian Transportation Sector and also in view of its study of the State of Canada’s Supply Chain.

We have been meeting with rail, freight forwarder, drayage and customs partners on congestion and clearance issues for containers at the ports and rail containers. CIFFA has been instrumental in putting together these meetings and they’ve been successful because it is an opportunity for our members to have access to the right officials who can hear what the concerns are on the ground. It also pushes officials to be accountable and to develop solutions from an operational perspective that can help our members.

Canadian Institute for Traffic and Transportation (CITT)

Pina Melchionna, President Mandate

CITT serves the Canadian logistics and transportation sector – both organizations and individuals.

Individuals come to CITT for professional development and to be part of an interactive and connected network of industry professionals. Businesses come to CITT to develop their people, and for a range of HR needs, such as recruitment and retention. CITT also serves organizations interested in creating new business relationships with shippers or carriers. We also serve academic institutions with curriculum, recognition of their programs, and as a bridge to connect their students with industry.

Our mandate is to bring together and support everyone in Canadian logistics for our collective benefit. We help individuals and organizations do the business of logistics better – be it through training, certification, hiring, retention, business development and much more. And we endorse and celebrate organizations and people who demonstrate excellence in our field.

Freight Management Association of Canada (FMA)

John Corey, President

Mandate

FMA primarily serves the shipper community, both nationally and internationally. As the national voice of the shipper, the FMA’s mandate is to represent the freight transport concerns of the buyers of freight transportation to all levels of government in Canada and to UN and other relevant international agencies.

Today’s challenges

We are addressing four main challenges in 2023. These are: Lack of competition in the rail and ocean container service industries; the need for robust government action

Today’s challenges

The transportation industry faces many hurdles in the short and long term. But the biggest challenge remains talent. We believe that the right people with the right expertise can solve nearly any problem facing industry today – as well as find new opportunities. But there’s competition for talent from other industries, as well as from within our own, and the common lack of investment in developing and keeping people. With rare exceptions, the only businesses we speak with that don’t have difficulty hiring and retaining people are those that have made talent a top strategic priority.

2023 Priorities

One of our top priorities is to connect industry. CITT is the nexus for organizations and people involved in logistics and we want to develop formal and informal ways for industry to connect. Particularly, we’ve been growing our collaborations with other industry associations.

We recently enabled anyone in industry to formally become part of our organization as affiliates of CITT. We’re putting a big focus on growing awareness that anyone in and around logistics can join CITT and become part of Canada’s logistics community.

A few years ago, we undertook the important work of developing a competency to address carrier dominance in the rail and ocean container service markets; the shortage of skilled labour in the freight transportation sector, particularly trucking; and the need for infrastructure investment in rail, ports, inland terminals, roads.

2023 Priorities

Our priorities this year, in advocating for shippers, are:

❏ Improving intermodal services, primarily by ocean carriers.

❏ Monitoring rail service in Canada and the U.S. to flag problems of equipment supply, on-time service, rail safety, adequate experienced staffing, and infrastructure investment.

❏ Encouraging action by the government in response to the Supply Chain Task Force final report.

❏ Working on a global basis on the problem of transportation of invasive species in and on containers with governments, ocean carrier industry and UN agencies, profile of the logistics professional. We built it in close collaboration with industry and experts from across sectors. As the competency profile is a cornerstone of our learning offerings and the CCLP designation, it’s crucial that we audit the competencies and update them frequently.

As I mentioned, talent and people is one of, if not the most important challenge facing our industry today. To help organizations tackle this, we’re collaborating directly with HR departments. Be it working to build an employee value proposition, hiring, training and beyond, we’re putting a major focus on helping HR build and keep talent.

Recent wins

CITT has made big strides in opening up and becoming an organization that anyone in and involved in logistics can be a part of. Starting with the faster challenge exam to the CCLP designation, and now with anyone able to become part of CITT as an affiliate, we’re now truly an association for the whole industry.

Another win is our corporate endorsement programs – Endorsed Logistics Employer, and Endorsed Business Partner. We endorse and partner with organizations in need of talent solutions, and those looking to form new business relationships. We’ve already formally endorsed and partners across industry, and we’re looking forward to many more collaborations in the years to come.

to ensure actions will mitigate the invasive species problem while not causing significant delays and additional costs.

❏ Monitoring major transportation labour agreements and keep the shipper community informed of potential work stoppages.

Recent wins

Along with other shipper associations, the FMA made a submission to the Canadian Competition Bureau to bring attention to the anti-competitive behaviour of ocean carriers who serve Canadian customers. During Covid, there were serious service issues or no service at all and very high rates. The FMA continues to ask Transport Canada to repeal the Shipping Conference Exemption Act (SCEA), the act that allows ocean carriers to reduce competition. The FMA is an active member of the Global Shipper Forum, and is working to develop a strategy to reduce the movement of invasive species in and on ocean containers.

Railway Association of Canada

Marc Brazeau, President Mandate

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents approximately 60 member railways and another 60-plus associate members. The R AC advocates on behalf of its members and associate members to ensure that Canada’s rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable and safe.

We ensure government decision-makers at all levels have the facts they need to develop and implement evidence-based policies and regulations. Canadian railways are among the most regulated entities in Canada. On behalf of its members, the RAC works to ensure that any additional regulations do not have negative consequences nor undermine private-sector investments.

The RAC plays an important education and awareness role by providing hands-on training courses and hosting regular events to keep government officials, first responders, and communities informed and at the forefront of our ever-evolving industry.

Today’s challenges

The federal government is considering imposing additional regulations on Canadian railways. Extending regulated interswitching and the banning of replacement workers in the case of work stoppages, contrary to all available evidence, would only serve to make our supply chains less efficient and less resilient, and hurt performance.

We have shared several suggestions with the federal government to in fact improve supply chains’ efficiency and capacity, and we remain open to all good, fact-based ideas to improve how all supply chain links work together to move Canada forward.

We need more innovation, accountability, and data-sharing from all supply chain players, especially at operational levels. This includes more rigourous scrutiny of not just railways, but of trucking firms, warehouses, storage facilities, rail customers, port terminals, and others.

2023 Priorities

In 2023, the RAC is focused on:

1. Ensuring any new economic regulations imposed on Canadian railways actually improve supply chains.

2 . Providing fact-based arguments to counter a proposed ban on the use of railway work stoppages.

3. Working with member railways and the communities they serve to further improve upon Canada’s enviable rail safety record.

4. Advocating for strategic investments in safety, sustainability, and supply chain capacity.

5. Educating decision-makers (at all levels) about important contributions our freight, commuter, intercommunity, and tourism railways make to Canada’s economy and Canadian society.

Recent wins

Our most recent Rail Trends report clearly outlined railways’ economic and environmental contributions, including advancements in safety. A recent independent study done by CPCS confirmed that Canada’s rail freight rates are the lowest of all market-based economies surveyed and among the lowest in the world.

And the RAC has just completed an important analysis of supply chains’ performance over the pandemic that confirms rail has been a reliable link with strong, consistent performance. In fact, rail-led the reduction in total transit times for bringing Canadian grain to world markets.

These are important evidence-based contributions to the vital supply chain conversa-

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