Québec Marine Transportation Policy - Transport - Gouvernement ...

Message
from the Minister for Transport
and Maritime Policy
It is with immense pride that I introduce Québec’s first marine transportation
policy, the fruit of many months of consultation, meetings,
discussion and thought.
At an early age, in school, we learned that the Saint-Laurent was one
of the great rivers of the world and that Jacques Cartier had planted
his cross in Gaspé in 1534. As adults travelling across Québec, we have
had the good fortune to discover the many faces of the Saint-Laurent, and to experience its richness
and diversity, its animal and plant life. We have also had the good fortune to meet the endearing
people living along the river, as we let its shores and charms permeate our souls. It is for these reasons
that the Québec people have always had for this giant such a strong attachment, intimately
entwined with their history.
This imposing waterway, which springs from the very heart of the continent it has helped to open
to the world, has always been a source of pride for Quebecers. The Saint-Laurent remains today an
extraordinary instrument of economic, social and heritage development for Québec. But in several
respects its potential has not been fully realized. A strategic waterway and the backbone of the
Saint-Laurent/Great Lakes system, the river should be used to a greater extent for intercontinental
trade and become a special link in North America. At the same time, it could also breathe new
life into cabotage, a profitable way to use this magnificent waterway in order to relieve traffic
on our overcrowded roads.
The government is taking such a direction in this first marine transportation policy, a tool made
necessary by the current circumstances: the growth of trade, North American competition, the
withdrawal of the federal government from a sector where it was traditionally present, and the
Québec government’s constant concern for the economic development of all its regions.
The restructuring of the freight transportation industry, the competitiveness of the Saint-Laurent,
workforce training, sustainable development, and the promotion and development of river tourism
are all challenges that call for carefully targeted action. To ensure that the Saint-Laurent plays a
strategic development role in the 21st century, steps must be taken immediately. By coupling
its support with the daily efforts of all maritime stakeholders, the Québec government makes a
commitment to do everything in its power to renew the vitality of the Saint-Laurent. Although this
first marine transportation policy does not claim to provide all the solutions to the many challenges
it posits, it nonetheless proposes a series of concrete measures and actions that, I hope, will meet
maritime transportation needs.
I want to sincerely thank all maritime stakeholders and partners who contributed directly or
indirectly to the preparation of this policy. After 400 years of history, Québec finally has its first
marine transportation policy. To achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves, we must step
up our efforts in unison. With the collaboration of everyone, we will be able to truly say that
Québec is at the helm.
Jacques Baril
II