Highlights from the 4th Annual GVCdtLab Conference: A Strategic Corridor at the Heart of Canada’s Priorities

On Thursday, March 26, 2026, CIRANO hosted the 4th annual GVCdtLab conference, bringing together public decision-makers, researchers, and industry experts around a central issue: the strategic role of the St. Lawrence–Great Lakes (SLGL) corridor in Canada’s economic competitiveness and resilience.

In a context marked by growing geopolitical tensions and a profound reconfiguration of global supply chains, Canada is being called upon to rethink its trade priorities. Securing and diversifying international trade flows requires, in particular, better leveraging its trade corridors. In this regard, the SLGL corridor, which connects Quebec and Ontario to international markets, stands out as a key infrastructure asset—especially due to the importance of maritime transportation and the structuring role of ports.

An integrated vision to strengthen competitiveness

Discussions highlighted the need to adopt an integrated approach to the corridor, combining transportation infrastructure, port capacity, and digital networks. Such a vision not only helps identify barriers to competitiveness but also enables better use of the region’s strengths and opportunities.

Data science is emerging as a key lever in this process. The tools developed by GVCdtLab, particularly the digital twin, help inform decision-making by identifying priority investments, whether related to multimodal infrastructure or digital systems. They also contribute to better targeting new international trade markets and sectors in which Canada has comparative advantages, such as critical and strategic minerals.

Governance and corridor culture

Beyond geopolitical and infrastructure issues, discussions emphasized the importance of structured governance to ensure the corridor’s performance and resilience. This involves defining shared indicators, identifying leadership, and establishing effective coordination mechanisms among the various stakeholders.

The objective is clear: to foster a genuine corridor culture capable of supporting supply chain resilience and advancing the country’s economic and trade ambitions in an uncertain international environment.

A day rich in exchanges

This conference highlighted several key takeaways:

• The importance of an integrated approach to optimizing and expanding transportation, port, and digital infrastructure to improve the efficiency of logistics chains
• The structuring role of data science and digital twins in supporting public decision-making
• The need for coordinated governance to address investment and regulatory challenges
• The importance of considering critical minerals within an integrated corridor framework, based on a traceable supply chain from mine to export, incorporating industrial, energy, and geopolitical dimensions

CIRANO and GVCdtLab would like to thank all speakers and panelists for the quality and diversity of their contributions, as well as all the teams involved in organizing this event.

By fostering dialogue between research, public policy, and industry, this 4th edition confirms GVCdtLab’s role as a key player in developing concrete and sustainable solutions aligned with Canada’s strategic priorities.