Debates of May 7th, 2014

Transport—Main Estimates, 2014–15

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that one big consultation on something as important as changing flight attendant regulations is insufficient?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am satisfied with the work that the officials in the department have been doing with respect to this matter in analyzing. I expect that the consultation period will follow the consultations that are always carried out on these regulatory matters.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, before changing the ratio to 1 in 50, will the minister agree to ask the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to conduct a study on this subject, as the Conservatives unanimously agreed to do in 2005?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have already asked the committee to study SMS as it applies to the transportation of dangerous goods in all modes of transport. I want an interim report from it in June. I know the committee members are seized with the issue right now and I look forward to their findings in that matter.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, the regulation that Transport Canada is proposing for flight attendants is not as stringent as the recommendation made by Transport Canada's senior managers in 2004 and 2006, which was rejected by two of the minister's predecessors.

Can the minister explain how something that was considered unsafe in 2004 is safe now, 10 years later?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I have indicated already, the one-in-fifty flight attendant ratio is the standard in the U.S. and Europe. It is one that is used every day. It is also the ratio that is recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

However, that is not the standard in Canada today. We are taking a look at this regulation. We are going through the proper analysis, as officials will do. They are also reaching out to industry for consultation because we directed that to happen. Once that process is complete, the package will be brought to me for consideration. At that point in time, a decision will be made.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, Canada is a leader. It does not make sense or make it safer to say Europe and the U.S. do that.

Does the minister agree it would be inappropriate to have temporary foreign workers preparing food for flights in Canada without proper security clearances?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, with respect to people who work on the air side of airport of operations, they have to receive accreditation from Transport Canada through use of a card or they have to go through a screening process to get through. Those things are in place and they are part of our everyday lives in airports across Canada.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, could the minister confirm if this is the case at any of Canada's airports and does the minister agree that all food preparation staff should have proper security clearances?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I said, the one fundamental piece of being able to work on air side operations is that those workers have either gone through a screening process or they have a card that allows them to access those areas. That process is handled by Transport Canada. It is taken very seriously because it is a matter of security.

What the status of individuals is regarding the nature of their residency in Canada, I do not know what the particular aspects of it are. It is something that would be taken into consideration by officials and they would deal with it in the way in which they deal with all applications.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree with her colleague responsible for infrastructure that officials should not move too quickly to demolish the Mirabel terminal and that all the partners should work together to find a solution?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Mirabel terminal is in the hands of the Aéroports de Montréal. It has been in its hands since the ground lease was given to it by Transport Canada. The property is owned by us, but airport officials can make the decisions with respect to the operation on their own. I understand the association officials have been having conversation with the local mayors. I encourage that, but at the end of the day, it is their decision on how to proceed with respect to this.

Since 2004, when passenger service ceased at Mirabel Airport, they have been attempting to utilize this asset and generate an economy from it, but have been unable to do so and have indicated that this is the direction they want to move in.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, while the City of Mirabel, the CMM, the chambers of commerce, the CRÉ des Laurentides, the Table des préfets et élus de la couronne Nord and all local stakeholders are trying to find a new use for the facilities, ADM is saying that they should be demolished.

Is the minister prepared to work with the community to convert the Mirabel terminal?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, again, this is really for the Aéroports de Montréal group to deal with because they are ones that have the responsibility for this terminal and for the decisions around this terminal. I would note that what they have said, that their decision was taken, was because of high maintenance costs, facilities were unfit for current commercial aviation needs, and the lack of economic viability for this terminal. That is what led them to make this decision. But as I said, I understand them having discussions with local mayors and I wish them the best in their discussions.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, in 2013, Aéroports de Montréal submitted to Transport Canada 24 files regarding breaches of the procedures and rules with respect to the management of air traffic noise.

What types of breaches were these? Can the minister tell us what kind of action was taken on each of these files?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will follow that up with my officials. I do not have that information right now.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, I will then wait for the minister to follow up.

An increasing number of Canadians who live east of the Trudeau airport, outside the NEF-30 contour perimeter, have been complaining about aircraft noise, particularly at night.

When will Transport Canada review its system for collecting noise data and reconsider its noise exposure forecast system to take into account the disturbance to people in that area?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, as the hon. member knows, Aéroports de Montréal has a noise committee that is very engaged in the community with respect to the issues associated with it. I know that Nav Canada would be involved as well as airlines. Really that is the best discussion place for that to happen, within that community.

As I said, I encourage the independent body Aéroports de Montréal to continue its discussions with neighbours and communities with respect to the management of noise in the area. It is an important part of an airport and it is important that they have these discussions.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, I think it is very important for the government to play an active role in this regard since this is a growing issue on the Island of Montreal.

A total of 74% of Canadians, including 68% of Conservative voters, say that the federal government's decision to reduce the number of flight attendants will have a negative impact on passenger safety.

Who is the minister protecting, Canadian passengers or the airlines?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I have indicated before, the 1:50 proposed ratio is one that is accepted by ICAO, it is one that is used in the U.S. and Europe. We are now currently in a process of determining whether we move from a 1:40 to a 1:50 flight attendant ratio.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, 9 out of 10 inspectors believe that Transport Canada's safety management system makes it impossible to fix safety problems within a reasonable time. That is 80% more than the number of inspectors who were concerned that this would be the case when the safety management systems were first implemented.

Does the minister find these results alarming? Why do the department's own inspectors have so little faith in the security procedures?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, one thing that has become clear is the reality that Transport Canada, its officials and ourselves need to work very hard to ensure that we are doing everything we can to respond to the Auditor General's report with respect to the implementation of SMS and the oversight activity. We will continue to do that.

As I have said, we will have 100% compliance in terms of training this spring with respect to that. Specifically the number of oversight positions and the amount of oversight in civil aviation is a significant number of positions. It is almost 1,800 positions in total. Civil aviation is 1,100 of that and the balance is made up of marine safety, rail safety, and transportation of dangerous goods.

It is incredibly important to note that safety and the safe passage of transport and passengers is always at the core of what Transport Canada does. That is what these inspectors do. We want them to work within the safety management systems because that has been indicated and in fact is the international standard and the one that we should be trying to achieve.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr.Chair, it is my pleasure to speak to the House today—

[The Chair, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Will the member be using ten minutes for his speech and five minutes for questions?

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

That is right, Mr. Chair.

It is my pleasure to speak to the House tonight on the help the federal government provides to municipalities and first responders.

First responders are the front line in public safety and when an emergency occurs, multiple 911 calls flow into municipal emergency centres. This begins the all-important response by police, fire, and ambulance personnel to the scene of the incident. Without this vital safety link, Canadians’ lives would be placed further at risk.

That is why our government recognizes the importance of proper first responder capability and has provided assistance to municipalities to ensure that Canadians have access to the support they require following an incident related to the transportation of dangerous goods.

For example, our government has allocated funding to support municipalities, and a portion of that funding is being provided by Public Safety Canada toward helping in the response and recovery in Lac-Mégantic.

By their very nature, the vast majority of emergencies in this country are dealt with at the local level; by provincial, territorial, and municipal governments. Under Canada's emergency management system, first responders and provincial officials are responsible for addressing the immediate needs of their residents in times of disaster. However, the federal government can and does play an important role through the disaster financial assistance agreements, particularly when communities are devastated by a large-scale natural disaster.

These arrangements were put in place to provide financial assistance to provinces and territories, on a cost-shared basis, when response and recovery costs for a natural disaster exceed what they could reasonably be expected to bear on their own. Through this program, our government has provided more than $2.5 billion in post-disaster assistance to help provinces and territories with the costs of response and of restoring infrastructure and personal property to pre-disaster condition.

However, as we learned last summer, our communities can be shattered by incidents that do not fall into the category of large-scale natural disasters. The unprecedented nature of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy was such that our government was compelled to find an exceptional and rapid funding response. In the face of such a devastating and immediate impact, it was clear that there was no time to waste. The priority was to deliver immediate help to the people whose lives had been ripped apart. With its commitment to provide $60 million to the province of Quebec, that is exactly what our government did. Since then, we have also provided up to $95 million to help with the decontamination of the water and soil.

In addition, to help meet this extraordinary need, Public Safety Canada committed to provide $25 million of the total funds, to help the Province of Quebec in its immediate response and recovery efforts, as well as to help repair, rebuild, and restore this devastated community.

The funds provided could be directed to a number of eligible costs, which would include: the delivery of emergency services; rescue, transportation, and emergency food and shelter; the registration of people who were displaced from their homes due to the destruction; incremental short-term security measures, including removing valuable assets and hazardous material from the sites; emergency provision of essential community services; the removal of damaged structures that constituted a threat to public safety; repairs to public infrastructure, such as roads and bridges; and finally, the cleanup costs.

Since this announcement, our government continues to work with officials in the Province of Quebec and Lac-Mégantic to ensure that provincial requests for federal assistance are handled without delay. The health and safety of Canadians is our government's top priority, and this funding is just another example of how we are working closely with the provinces and territories to assist Canadians when large disasters strike.

We continue to support first responders to make sure they have access to information that may assist them in dealing with an incident.

That is why on November 20, 2013, my colleague the hon. Minister of Transport took action to make sure that municipalities and first responders have access to information about dangerous goods that flow through their communities. This government has obligated industry to provide municipal emergency planners and first responders with the information they need to conduct proper risk assessments, emergency planning, and first-responder training.

Moreover, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992, provides the federal government with the necessary authorities to develop policy, verify compliance, conduct research to enhance safety, guide emergency response, and develop regulations and standards to manage risk during the transportation of dangerous goods.

To further help municipalities deal with an emergency, the transportation of dangerous goods directorate within Transport Canada, operates the Canadian Transport Emergency Centre, CANUTEC, to assist emergency response personnel in handling dangerous goods emergencies. This world-renowned centre is staffed by bilingual professional scientists, specialized in emergency response and experienced in interpreting technical information and providing advice to first responders.

The centre operates 24 hours a day and handles some 30,000 phone calls a year related to safety. Delegations from around the world regularly visit CANUTEC to incorporate Canadian practices into their own countries' dangerous goods programs.

CANUTEC was involved immediately after the incident in Lac-Mégantic, providing first responders involved in the tragic incident with information regarding potential hazards of the dangerous goods, evacuation distance, train consist information, and protective clothing requirements, among others.

First responders regularly communicate the importance and necessity of CANUTEC to help them accomplish their response work and to understand the risks associated with the transportation of dangerous goods. CANUTEC also offers first responders access to immediate dangerous goods information following an incident.

A rail operator is required by regulation to provide CANUTEC with the train consist immediately following an incident. This train consist provides first responders with detailed information on the specific products the train in question was transporting, beyond the general information provided by the placards on the cars. This is much more detailed information.

It allows CANUTEC specialists to target detailed advice on handling products, which may have spilled and mixed, or recommended initial evacuation zones. It enables them to understand immediately what risks they face when they are involved in an incident.

This existing requirement for immediate information to be provided to first responders through CANUTEC, in combination with the new requirements to provide municipalities with historical information through the protective direction, demonstrates our government's commitment to support first responders with the information they require to respond to a dangerous goods incident.

We are fortunate. Anyone involved in emergency response and the transportation of dangerous goods safety knows the importance of CANUTEC and its emergency response guidebook. This guidebook, produced by Transport Canada, helps first responders, police, fire, ambulance and paramedics, to respond and protect Canadians during the initial phase of a dangerous goods incident.

The emergency response guidebook is an informative and comprehensive guide designed for use at a dangerous goods incident occurring on a highway, aircraft, ship or railroad. It enables first responders to quickly identify the specific or generic hazards of the material involved in an incident. The guidebook is used by many first responders. It is something that is widely provided.

Could the minister clarify a number of oversight positions for each mode of transportation, and for the transport of dangerous goods? After she has done that, perhaps she could comment on the January 23 Transportation Safety Board-issued recommendations regarding emergency response assistance plans, ERAPs. Perhaps the minister could tell the House what actions our government took to respond to these recommendations.