Bill C-33 (Historical)

Safer Railways Act

An Act to amend the Railway Safety Act and to make consequential amendments to the Canada Transportation Act

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

John Baird  Conservative

Status

Report stage (House), as of March 11, 2011
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

These amendments amend the Railway Safety Act to, among other things,
(a) improve the oversight capacity of the Department of Transport by, for example, requiring railway companies to obtain a safety-based railway operating certificate indicating compliance with regulatory requirements;
(b) strengthen that Department’s enforcement powers by introducing administrative monetary penalties and increasing court-enforced penalties;
(c) enhance the role of safety management systems by including a provision for a railway executive accountable for safety and a non-punitive reporting system for employees of railway companies;
(d) clarify the authority and responsibilities of the Minister of Transport with respect to railway matters; and
(e) expand regulation-making authorities and clarify the process for rule making by railway companies.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on Feb. 8, 2011

  • Luc Bourdon, Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on Feb. 10, 2011

  • Luc Bourdon, Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport
  • Phil Benson, Lobbyist, Teamsters Canada
  • William Brehl, President, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, Maintenance of Way Employees Division, Teamsters Canada
  • Rob Smith, National Legislative Director, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, Locomotive Engineers, Teamsters Canada

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on Feb. 15, 2011

  • Cliff Mackay, President and Chief Executive Officer, Railway Association of Canada
  • Paul Miller, Chief Safety and Sustainability Officer, Canadian National Railway Company
  • Glen Wilson, Vice-President, Safety, Environment and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Pacific Railway
  • John Marginson, Chief Operating Officer, VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on Feb. 17, 2011

  • Gregory Percy, Vice-President, Operations, Greater Toronto Transit Authority; Urban Transit Authorities
  • Doug Kelsey, Chief Operating Officer, Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink), Urban Transit Authorities
  • Nancy Fréchette, Vice-President, Operations, Agence métropolitaine de transport, Urban Transit Authorities
  • Christine Collins, National President, Union of Canadian Transportation Employees
  • Mike Piché, National Representative, United Steelworkers
  • Michael Teeter, Advisor, Union of Canadian Transportation Employees

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on March 3, 2011

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee, on March 10, 2011

  • Luc Bourdon, Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport
  • Carla White-Taylor, Director, Rail Safety Secretariat, Department of Transport
  • Alain Langlois, Legal Counsel, Legal Services, Department of Transport