August 24, 2005
Introduction
It's all about the customer.
Savvy retailers know the key to business success is to "get out from behind the cash register" and scrutinize every aspect of their operation from the perspective of their customers.
It is in that spirit that Retail Council of Canada welcomes the opportunity to submit to the Task Force the perspective of its retail members from coast to coast — who are significant import container customers of the Port of Vancouver and Fraser Port.
The issues arising from the mandate of the Task Force are technically and jurisdictionally complex — involving many stakeholders. The Task Force will require a rich breadth of perspectives to successfully complete its work.
Retailers big and small were hard hit by this summer's withdrawal of services by truck owner-operators. It is not possible to quantify retailers' total losses, nor the long-term impact on the Port of Vancouver's reputation for reliability. But on both counts, there is no question that the damage has been severe.
The issues behind the dispute were essentially those that led to a similar disruption in 1999. As a trading nation, Canada cannot afford to apply a band-aid and have the same issues reappear yet again. Retail Council of Canada supports the formation of the Task Force and believes all port stakeholders must maximize this opportunity to understand and deal decisively with issues that may threaten the integrity of this vital link in our national transportation infrastructure.
Our members are experts in neither marine terminal operations nor port industrial relations. Thus, this brief will not delve into such issues in depth. But as key port customers, with sophisticated understanding of global supply chain logistics, retailers are in a position to articulate their performance expectations for the ports which comprise Canada's Pacific Gateway and their perspective on current obstacles to achieving those operational levels.
Canadian retailers and the customers they serve have a significant stake in the effectiveness of Canada's transportation infrastructure and hope this submission contributes constructive value to the important work the Task Force has undertaken.