Québec Marine Transportation Policy - Transport - Gouvernement ...

Message
from the Minister of Transport
Although historians credit Jacques Cartier with the discovery of the
Saint-Laurent, it is to Samuel de Champlain that the honour goes for
giving that name to the river, which previously was known by an array
of other names. The Native peoples long called it “the river that
walks”. Used to colonize New France and for the fur trade with
Europe, the Saint-Laurent emerged as a major waterway of the
world. Its hundreds of kilometres make it one of our chief collective
resources. The Saint-Laurent has profoundly marked the territorial
organization of Québec. Along its banks are Québec’s main communities, and throughout history,
it has shaped our nation through its tributaries and its wealth.
Long known for freight transportation, the Saint-Laurent has experienced a marked decline in
this regard over the past 20 years. The staggering growth of trucking in particular has caused a
reduction in the demand for maritime transportation. The withdrawal of the federal government
from its traditional responsibilities for the Saint-Laurent has also diminished the competitiveness
of maritime transportation. But the benefits of maritime transportation are manifold, especially
its competitive costs and environmental advantages. Hence, given its high quality infrastructure
and services, and its strategic position, which makes it the shortest route between Europe and
the American heartland, the Saint-Laurent must serve as a key development tool.
The adoption of a marine transportation policy is a major step from the standpoint of the integration
of all transportation modes. This integrated approach will enable the government to equip
Québec with a truly comprehensive transportation plan focused on consistency and multimodality.
The primary objective pursued has a number of facets, including the establishment of a strategic
transportation network incorporating all transportation modes and the installation of multimodal
facilities that ensure continuous and harmonious movement of people and goods, at a competitive
cost and in an environmentally friendly manner.
To enable the maritime sector to make a greater contribution to Québec’s economic development,
it must be supported with a view to helping it become further integrated with other transportation
modes. More than an effort to revive a tradition and give new vitality to an essential sector of
activity, this policy, which is resolutely open to the modern world, contains guarantees for success
in meeting current and future maritime and intermodal transportation challenges.
The Saint-Laurent is one of our richest collective assets. My colleague and friend Jacques Baril
could not have devoted more courage, conviction and determination to this policy, which is a
masterly contribution to the economic and social development of Québec.
Guy Chevrette
I