Transport committee  It's a complex process. Generally, if we find non-compliance, we ask the organization for a corrective action plan. If we found something wrong with their plan, they would have to come back to us and tell us how they're going to fix it. We also want them to look at the root cause of that failure; not only what the solution is, but also why they ended up with that situation in the first place, and what they are doing to improve their plan to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Transport committee  That is something, Mr. Chair, that is governed by the Canadian Transportation Agency. The Canadian Transportation Agency, and I'm talking specifically on the rail side here right now, must ensure a company has adequate insurance before issuing a certificate of fitness. The levels of insurance are something the agency has said they are going to look at.

Transport committee  In what way? Are you referring to insurance?

Transport committee  I'll ask Ms. Dagenais to answer that question.

Transport committee  Mr. Chairman, it's a bit of a different construct on the marine side, in that in addition to carrying their proper insurance, there is a fund to compensate for oil spills. I'll ask Mr. Roussel to give a bit more detail in that regard.

Transport committee  —a different regulatory construct?

Transport committee  That's true.

Transport committee  That is correct as well.

Transport committee  That's absolutely correct. One of the biggest problems we have is that people characterize it as deregulation. With the implementation of safety management systems, not one Transport Canada regulation has been removed from the rule book. In fact, we see safety management systems as an umbrella regulation on top of all the others to make sure that they're working properly.

Transport committee  That is correct as well, sir.

Transport committee  That's correct. Are you referring specifically to the rail side where there's—

Transport committee  Certainly we've progressed from where we were in 2007, and to talk to the specific rail experience on how we have progressed and to what measure, I'll turn to Monsieur Bourdon to answer the question.

Transport committee  Anyone who wishes to participate, we're more than happy to hear from. As a general matter, of course, as I indicated, when we're developing regulations, we'll consult with the railways, with the short-line railways, and with their associations, such as the Railway Association of Canada.

Transport committee  Certainly, we have consultative mechanisms that perform much in the same manner. Each of our modes have well-established mechanisms for consulting all of the groups that I mentioned. On the rail side, we have the Advisory Council on Railway Safety that was formed after the Railway Safety Act review.

Transport committee  First of all, I take exception to the characterization that we invite people in, then we close the doors and we don't tell them what we're doing. Our consultation is a continual process. We try to keep stakeholders as informed as we possibly can on where we are going and try to come up with a solution that all can agree on.