Gateways and trade corridors in Canada and elsewhere are often associated with initiatives to update the networks that support trade. They are planned to ensure that goods can be moved and traded with fluidity. The need for such planning comes about because of fears that freight movements might be impaired. Thus, debates on gateways and trade corridors in the public arena arise because of concerns about the adequacy of transport infrastructures, and the pressures put on them by current – expected or desired – growth rates of freight movements. But concepts like ‘corridors’ that invoke the passage of goods through numerous components of a system shed light on the importance of coordination. We argue that the fundamental question raised by the Canadian gateway and trade corridor initiative is not the amount or type of infrastructure needed, but how to bring together the numerous stakeholders of the transport chain to better collaborate. This collaboration is essential to ensure that limited resources are used in the most efficient way and enhance the performance of trade networks. This is evident in the way industry stakeholders have maintained their positions despite the present economic crisis marked by falling trade levels that have offset the imminence of under-capacity.