OTTAWA — Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says supply chain disruptions are adding to the rising cost of living and hopes to help fix the problem with new legislation.

The minister tabled a bill in the House of Commons on Thursday to improve Canada’s supply chain and to make the transportation system safer, more efficient and more reliable.

Alghabra says the legislation will help address a root cause of inflation by strengthening the country’s supply chain through port competitiveness and rail safety.

He says it will require ports to collect more information and share it with railways, trucking companies and shippers to enhance accountability and transparency.

Supply chain disruptions have been cited as one of the factors contributing to the record inflation this year.

In October, the National Supply Chain Task Force released a final report with 21 recommendations to improve Canada’s supply chain, including port modernization and digitization.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2022.

The Canadian Press