Canada adopts joint statement on co-operation with other countries to mitigate supply-chain issues

Ottawa – The U.S. Supply Chain Ministerial Forum and the Government of Canada have put out a join statement indicating that both countries and their partner economies must work to strengthen supply chains in the midst of ongoing conflicts, extreme climate changes and the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada reads: “The shocks to global supply chains from pandemics, wars and conflicts, extreme climate impacts, and natural disasters have put in stark relief the urgent need to further strengthen supply chains, to work to reduce and end near-term disruptions, and to build long-term resilience. This is a global challenge we intend to approach resolutely and cooperatively.

“This is a global challenge we intend to approach resolutely and cooperatively.”

According to the statement, the economies of Australia, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, the U.K. and the United States intend to work together to create a crisis response to help alleviate transportation, logistics, supply-chain disruptions, bottlenecks and long-term resilience challenges.

The groups involved plan to work with businesses, workers, academia, labour and members of local communities as well as different levels of government to mitigate supply-chain problems.

They have also said that they intend to collaborate with transparency by consulting with the private sector, civil society, different levels of government and other stakeholders: “We intend to advance information sharing, and to the extent possible common approaches and early warning systems, about potential, emerging, and systematic supply challenges. We intend to undertake this cooperation consistent with Participants’ domestic laws and international obligations and with utmost care to protect non-public information, including information necessary for the protection of essential security interests.”

Diversification is part of the strategy. “We aim to promote diversification and increase global capacities for multiple, reliable, and sustainable sources of materials and inputs, intermediate goods, and finished goods in priority sectors, along with logistics infrastructure capacities, increasing resilience of supply chains to make our economies less vulnerable to disruptions and shocks.”

Read the full statement here.