Canadian Trade Group Says Inland Ports Are Key to Expanding Container Capacity

(photo source: Clear Seas)

Canada’s shipping industry is urging the federal government to rethink how international goods enter the country. The Chamber of Marine Commerce is calling on Ottawa to allow overseas containers to move through smaller inland ports, provided customs clearance can be handled directly at the docks. The organization argues this shift would open up new trade capacity, ease congestion at major gateways, and strengthen supply-chain resilience.

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Right now, only a handful of major ports have on-site Canada Border Services Agency staff to inspect incoming sea containers. This limited setup forces most international cargo through a narrow group of coastal hubs, creating pressure points during peak seasons. Smaller ports along the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway System have the physical capacity to handle more container traffic but are held back by the absence of dockside customs services.

According to research commissioned by the Chamber, allowing international containers to be processed at six inland ports could produce more than $100 million annually in new business income. The potential benefits extend beyond economics. Redirecting some container volumes away from the busiest ports would reduce road congestion, cut related emissions, and limit the need for shipments to route through the United States before reaching Canadian destinations.

The Chamber’s position also lines up with Ottawa’s broader push to improve national trade infrastructure. Recent federal funding has highlighted the importance of modern, efficient gateways and the need for investments that create long-term resilience. Expanding customs capacity at inland ports fits neatly into that strategy, offering a practical way to spread freight traffic more evenly and support regional economic development.

If the government moves forward, ports such as Windsor, Hamilton, and Valleyfield could become new entry points for global trade. Local industries would gain quicker access to international markets, and major coastal ports would gain much-needed breathing room. For the marine commerce sector, the proposal represents a straightforward solution to a long-standing bottleneck — one that could reshape how goods flow across the country.

Opening smaller ports to international containers isn’t just a logistics upgrade. It’s a chance to build a more balanced, competitive, and sustainable marine transportation network for Canada’s future.

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