OTTAWA — Canada’s trade minister is ready to satisfy with firms determined for options to ease the move of products over the border and throughout the nation.

Francois-Philippe Champagne agreed to the request {that a} consortium of producers and exporters made simply earlier than the vacations.

The coalition of 18 associations notes that most of the causes of the present snarls in provide chains in Canada predate the pandemic, however COVID-19 has harshly uncovered these weaknesses.

The group is asking the federal government to speed up spending on increase commerce and transport infrastructure, and co-ordinate with the U.S and Mexico on constructing extra continental capability to ease reliance on abroad items.

Champagne mentioned he is waiting for the talks, scheduled for the tip of the month, and he factors to work underway with ports and transit hubs to forestall bottlenecks choking the move of products.

The minister additionally mentioned he has been having talks with the White Home and European Fee about figuring out the place and the way the allies will supply essential provides like vaccines over the subsequent few many years.

The kinks in how the nation organized its provide chains turned obvious within the early days of the pandemic as governments, firms and households had difficulties, as an example, sourcing private protecting gear.

“What I am attempting to see with colleagues is can we map the kind of essential provide we’ll want, and work with trusted companions world wide to construct very resilient provide chains,” Champagne mentioned throughout a teleconference with reporters Wednesday after asserting over $550 million in funding for Canadian researchers.

“I see them going from world to regional, the place extra emphasis is placed on resiliency than effectivity.”

High federal officers have been taking a look at constructing sectoral resiliency for the reason that fall of 2020, in response to paperwork obtained by The Canadian Press beneath the Entry to Info Act.

A presentation to a September 2020 assembly of deputy ministers famous vulnerabilities just like the just-in-time supply mannequin and “low storage capability” in sectors like manufacturing and retail.

The strategy the deputy ministers thought of was to cut back commerce dangers by diversifying the sources of products, “together with regional alternate options,” construct home manufacturing capability and storage significantly for “essential items” like protecting gear, vaccines and meals, and “speed up digitalization and trade adoption of provide chain resiliency applied sciences.”

Among the many analysis funding Champagne introduced Wednesday is a $24-million grant to Queen’s College researchers taking a look at a brand new option to coat steel surfaces and shield them from rusting, thereby extending their life and probably saving billions on infrastructure repairs.

Head researcher Cathleen Crudden famous how provide chain points can have an effect on the supply of supplies she and different researchers require for his or her work.

She mentioned her challenge might additionally assist Canada construct a extra resilient provide chain for semiconductor chips by getting the nation extra concerned in manufacturing them.

“It will be important not solely to be a recipient of expertise, however to be a contributor,” Crudden mentioned. “This work will really contribute to bringing Canada actually proper into state-of-the-art strategies for manufacturing semiconductors.”

There have been hopes that commerce issues which have grown for the reason that fall would crest by the point the calendar turned to 2022 earlier than resolving by the spring, however now these hopes are dealing with a headwind from Omicron.

The fast-spreading variant has despatched absentee charges leaping for firms who’ve began to sluggish manufacturing of products already in excessive demand, mentioned Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian Producers and Exporters, who additionally chairs the coalition of associations scheduled to satisfy with Champagne.

“Stuff is layering on high of one another,” Darby mentioned.

“We all know there are going to be provide chain points, however we figured they need to have began to ease. After which lo and behold, Omicron hits.”

On the assembly with Champagne, Darby mentioned his group desires to search out supply-chain options and make sure the authorities does not miss a chance to make fixes for the long-term.