An acute labor shortage and the threat of climate change took center stage on Friday during a joint meeting of Canada’s transportation and highway ministers. Although a related communique was silent about any emerging actions.

“Over the past few years, we have all experienced transportation supply chain and trade corridor issues in addition to the impacts of extreme weather events caused by climate change,” New Brunswick Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Carr said after the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety met.

“This meeting highlights this fragility and emphasizes our need to continue to work with our federal counterparts to build stronger supply chains and more climate-resilient infrastructure.”

“Our supply chain continues to face challenges across the country, impacting the price and how we transport goods, as well as how we travel,” said federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “I feel confident we are moving in the right direction together to address labor shortages, fight climate change, create good middle class jobs, and build an economy that works for everyone.”

The meeting came just days after the federal government formally announced $43 million to help train and onboard up to 2,00 new truck drivers through Trucking HR Canada’s Career ExpressWay Program.

Ministers were also briefed on electronic logging devices, excessive motor vehicle noise, school bus safety, and vulnerable road users, among other topics.

A roundtable discussion on supply chain priorities included steps to proactively monitor system performance, system redundancies and alternatives, and critical investment needs.

“The ministers also considered economic corridors, including transportation infrastructure priorities to address supply chain issues and to ensure Canada has the infrastructure capacity to support future trade growth and access to markets,” a briefing added.