Transportation in Canada
Transportation in Canada, the world's second-largest country in total area, is dedicated to having an efficient, high-capacity multimodal transport spanning often vast distances between natural resource extraction sites, agricultural and urban areas. Canada's transportation system includes more than of roads, 10 major international airports, 300 smaller airports, of functioning railway track, and more than 300 commercial ports and harbours that provide access to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans as well as the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. In 2005, the transportation sector made up 4.2% of Canada's GDP, compared to 3.7% for Canada's mining and oil and gas extraction industries.
Transport Canada oversees and regulates most aspects of transportation within federal jurisdiction, including interprovincial transport. This primarily includes rail, air and maritime transportation. Transport Canada is under the direction of the federal government's Minister of Transport. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is responsible for maintaining transportation safety in Canada by investigating accidents and making safety recommendations.
| Industry | Share of transportation GDP |
| Air transportation | 9 |
| Rail transportation | 13 |
| Water transportation | 3 |
| Truck transportation | 35 |
| Transit and ground passenger transportation | 12 |
| Pipeline transportation | 11 |
| Scenic and sightseeing transport/Transport support | 17 |
| Total: | 100 |
Roads
There is a total of of roads in Canada, of which are paved, including of expressways. As of 2008, were unpaved.In 2009, there were 20,706,616 road vehicles registered in Canada, of which 96% were vehicles under, 2.4% were vehicles between and 1.6% were or greater. These vehicles travelled a total of 333.29 billion kilometres, of which 303.6 billion was for vehicles under 4.5 tonnes, 8.3 billion was for vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes and 21.4 billion was for vehicles over 15 tonnes. For the 4.5- to 15-tonne trucks, 88.9% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 4.9% were inter-province, 2.8% were between Canada and the US and 3.4% made outside of Canada. For the trucks over 15 tonnes, 59.1% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 20% inter-province trips, 13.8% Canada-US trips and 7.1% trips made outside of Canada.
between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan has a quarter of US-Canada trade cross over it.
Canada's vehicles consumed a total of of gasoline and of diesel. Trucking generated 35% of the total GDP from transport, compared to 25% for rail, water and air combined. Hence roads are the dominant means of passenger and freight transport in Canada.
Roads and highways were managed by provincial and municipal authorities until construction of the Northwest Highway System and the Trans-Canada Highway project initiation. The Alaska Highway of 1942 was constructed during World War II for military purposes connecting Fort St. John, British Columbia with Fairbanks, Alaska. The transcontinental highway, a joint national and provincial expenditure, was begun in 1949 under the initiation of the Trans Canada Highway Act on December 10, 1949. The highway was completed in 1962 at a total expenditure of $1.4 billion.
Internationally, Canada has road links with both the lower 48 US states and Alaska. The Ministry of Transportation maintains the road network in Ontario and also employs Ministry of Transport Enforcement Officers for the purpose of administering the Canada Transportation Act and related regulations. The Department of Transportation in New Brunswick performs a similar task in that province as well.
Regulations enacted in regards to Canada highways are the 1971 Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the 1990 Highway Traffic Act
The safety of Canada's roads is moderately good by international standards, and is improving both in terms of accidents per head of population and per billion vehicle kilometers.
Air transport
made up 9% of the transport sector's GDP generation in 2005. Canada's largest air carrier and its flag carrier is Air Canada, which had 34 million customers in 2006 and, as of April 2010, operates 363 aircraft. CHC Helicopter, the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world, is second with 142 aircraft and WestJet, a low-cost carrier formed in 1996, is third with 100 aircraft. Canada's airline industry saw significant change following the signing of the US-Canada open skies agreement in 1995, when the marketplace became less regulated and more competitive.The Canadian Transportation Agency employs transportation enforcement officers to maintain aircraft safety standards, and conduct periodic aircraft inspections, of all air carriers. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is charged with the responsibility for the security of air traffic within Canada. In 1994 the National Airports Policy was enacted
Principal airports
Of over 1,800 registered Canadian aerodromes, certified airports, heliports, and floatplane bases, 26 are specially designated under Canada's National Airports System : these include all airports that handle 200,000 or more passengers each year, as well as the principal airport serving each federal, provincial, and territorial capital. However, since the introduction of the policy only one, Iqaluit Airport, has been added and no airports have been removed despite dropping below 200,000 passengers. The Government of Canada, with the exception of the three territorial capitals, retains ownership of these airports and leases them to local authorities. The next tier consists of 64 regional/local airports formerly owned by the federal government, most of which have now been transferred to other owners.Below is a table of Canada's ten biggest airports by passenger traffic in 2019.
| Rank | Airport | Location | Total passengers | Annual change |
| 1 | Toronto Pearson International Airport | Toronto | 50,499,431 | 2.0% |
| 2 | Vancouver International Airport | Vancouver | 26,395,820 | 1.8% |
| 3 | Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport | Montreal | 20,305,106 | 4.5% |
| 4 | Calgary International Airport | Calgary | 17,957,780 | 3.5% |
| 5 | Edmonton International Airport | Edmonton | 8,151,532 | 1.2% |
| 6 | Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport | Ottawa | 5,106,487 | 0.1% |
| 7 | Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport | Winnipeg | 4,484,249 | 0.0% |
| 8 | Halifax Stanfield International Airport | Halifax | 4,188,443 | 3.0% |
| 9 | Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport | Toronto | - | − |
| 10 | Kelowna International Airport | Kelowna | 2,032,144 | 1.3% |
Railways
In 2007, Canada had a total of of freight and passenger railway, of which is electrified. While intercity passenger transportation by rail is now very limited, freight transport by rail remains common. Total revenues of rail services in 2006 was $10.4 billion, of which only 2.8% was from passenger services. In a year are usually earned about $11 billion, of which 3.2% is from passengers and the rest from freight. The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway are Canada's two major freight railway companies, each having operations throughout North America. In 2007, 357 billion tonne-kilometres of freight were transported by rail, and 4.33 million passengers travelled 1.44 billion passenger-kilometres. 34,281 people were employed by the rail industry in the same year.Nationwide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail. Three Canadian cities have commuter rail services: in the Montreal area by AMT, in the Toronto area by GO Transit, and in the Vancouver area by West Coast Express. Smaller railways such as Ontario Northland, Rocky Mountaineer, and Algoma Central also run passenger trains to remote rural areas.
In Canada railways are served by standard gauge,, rails. See also track gauge in Canada.
Canada has railway links with the lower 48 US States, but no connection with Alaska other than a train ferry service from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, although a line has been proposed. There are no other international rail connections.
Waterways
In 2005, of cargo was loaded and unloaded at Canadian ports. The Port of Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada, moving or 15% of Canada's total in domestic and international shipping in 2003.Transport Canada oversees most of the regulatory functions related to marine registration, safety of large vessel, and port pilotage duties. Many of Canada's port facilities are in the process of being divested from federal responsibility to other agencies or municipalities.
Inland waterways comprise, including the St. Lawrence Seaway. Transport Canada enforces acts and regulations governing water transportation and safety.
| Rank | Port | Province | TEUs | Boxes | Containerized cargo |
| 1 | Vancouver | British Columbia | 2,207,730 | 1,282,807 | 17,640,024 |
| 2 | Montreal | Quebec | 1,288,910 | 794,735 | 11,339316 |
| 3 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 530,722 | 311,065 | 4,572,020 |
| 4 | St. John's | Newfoundland and Labrador | 118,008 | 55,475 | 512,787 |
| 5 | Fraser River | British Columbia | 94,651 | N/A | 742,783 |
| 6 | Saint John | New Brunswick | 44,566 | 24,982 | 259,459 |
| 7 | Toronto | Ontario | 24,585 | 24,585 | 292,834 |
Ferry services
- Passenger ferry service
- Automobile ferry service
- Train ferry service
Canals
- St. Lawrence Seaway
- Welland Canal
- Soo Locks
- Trent-Severn Waterway
- Rideau Canal
Ports and harbours
West coast
- Victoria, British Columbia
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Prince Rupert, British Columbia
East coast
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Saint John, New Brunswick
- St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Sept-Îles, Quebec
- Sydney, Nova Scotia
- Botwood, Newfoundland and Labrador
Northern and central
- Bécancour, Quebec
- Churchill, Manitoba
- Hamilton, Ontario
- Montreal, Quebec
- Quebec City, Quebec
- Trois-Rivières, Quebec
- Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Toronto, Ontario
- Windsor, Ontario
Merchant marine
Pipelines
Pipelines are part of the energy extraction and transportation network of Canada and are used to transport natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, synthetic crude and other petroleum based products. Canada has of pipeline for transportation of crude and refined oil, and for liquefied petroleum gas.Public transit
Most Canadian cities have public transport, if only a bus system. Three Canadian cities have rapid transit systems, four have light rail systems, and three have commuter rail systems. In 2016, 12.4% of Canadians used public transportation to get to work. This compares to 79.5% that got to work using a car, 5.5% that walked and 1.4% that rode a bike.Government organizations across Canada owned 17,852 buses of various types in 2016. Organizations in Ontario and Quebec accounted for just over three-fifths of the country's total bus fleet. Urban municipalities owned more than 85% of all buses.
in 2016, diesel buses were the leading bus type in Canada, followed by bio-diesel and hybrid buses. Electric, natural gas and other buses collectively accounted for the remaining 6.6%.
Rapid transit systems
There are three rapid transit systems operating in Canada: the Montreal Metro, the Toronto subway, and the Vancouver SkyTrain.| Location | Transit | Weekday daily ridership | Length/stations |
| Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Metro | 1,254,700 | / 68 |
| Toronto, Ontario | Toronto subway | 1,207,300 | / 75 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | SkyTrain | 454,600 | / 53 |
There is also an airport circulator, the Link Train, at Toronto Pearson International Airport. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is wheelchair-accessible. It is free of cost.
Light rail systems
There are light rail systems in four cities – the Calgary CTrain, the Edmonton LRT, the Ottawa O-Train, and Waterloo Region's Ion – while Toronto has an extensive streetcar system.| Location | Transit | Weekday daily ridership | Length/stations |
| Toronto, Ontario | Toronto streetcar system | 300,400 | / 685 |
| Calgary, Alberta | CTrain | 290,000 | / 45 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton LRT | 100,760 | / 15 |
| Ottawa, Ontario | O-Train | 14,300 | / 18 |
| Waterloo Region, Ontario | Ion rapid transit | N/A | / 19 |
The 2016 Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey from Statistics Canada found that all of Canada's 247 streetcars were owned by the City of Toronto. The vast majority of these streetcars were purchased from 1970 to 1999, while 12.1% were purchased in 2016. Reflecting the age of the streetcars, 88.0% were reported to be in very poor condition, while 12.0% were reported to be in good condition.
Commuter train systems
Commuter trains serve the cities and surrounding areas of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver:| Location | Transit | Daily ridership | System length |
| Toronto, Ontario | GO Transit | 187,000 | |
| Montreal, Quebec | Agence métropolitaine de transport | 83,100 | |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | West Coast Express | 11,100 |
History
The standard history covers the French regime, fur traders, the canals, and early roads, and gives extensive attention to the railways.European contact
Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal peoples in Canada walked. They also used canoes, kayaks, umiaks and Bull Boats, in addition to the snowshoe, toboggan and sled in winter. They had no wheeled vehicles, and no animals larger than dogs.Europeans adopted canoes as they pushed deeper into the continent's interior, and were thus able to travel via the waterways that fed from the St. Lawrence River and Hudson Bay.
In the 19th century and early 20th century transportation relied on harnessing oxen to Red River ox carts or horse to wagon. Maritime transportation was via manual labour such as canoe or wind on sail. Water or land travel speeds was approximately.
Settlement was along river routes. Agricultural commodities were perishable, and trade centres were within. Rural areas centred around villages, and they were approximately apart. The advent of steam railways and steamships connected resources and markets of vast distances in the late 19th century. Railways also connected city centres, in such a way that the traveller went by sleeper, railway hotel, to the cities. Crossing the country by train took four or five days, as it still does by car. People generally lived within of the downtown core thus the train could be used for inter-city travel and the tram for commuting.
The advent of the interstate or Trans-Canada Highway in Canada in 1963 established ribbon development, truck stops, and industrial corridors along throughways.