Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for inviting the steelworkers to discuss our union's perspective on the future of rail safety in Canada as it relates to railway workers and the transportation of dangerous goods. I'm Richard Boudreault, the steelworkers' ar

Transport committee  In fact, there were a lot of things. We think there's a wall between the board of safety and Transport Canada because in 1996, just as an example, there was an accident up here in Quebec with the QNS&L, and the problem was the one-man crew. The report is well known. It's on t

Transport committee  Mr. Chair and members, we never said we had any problem with the government. What we said was that the government and Transport Canada should take the leadership. They should take the leadership and consult everyone who's involved—the communities, the workers, the union represent

Transport committee  It's because of deregulation. I'm not blaming one particular government, but since 1986 the deregulation favoured some small companies over big companies. Deregulation means that we have one-man crews. The rule about stopping the train on the main track is not the same and it's d

Transport committee  I didn't say that. I'm sorry to interrupt you. We're not asking the railway to disclose any information that could make the public vulnerable. We're asking them to release information so the public can make informed decisions about their safety. That's what we want. As an examp

Transport committee  They should take leadership. When they implement safety rules, they should at least find a way to check what's going on. Fine, if it's respected. If not, do what they have to do. Take the permit from the delinquent. That's it.

Transport committee  The union's position is clear: we do not agree with the one-man crew. Obviously, the minister's position is a good start, but before putting that in place, our people need the necessary training. Trains transporting dangerous goods are getting longer and longer, which requires c

Transport committee  Let me give you an example. Yesterday, March 26, I met with the union representative who was investigating MMA concerning a dismissal. The issue in the case was parking on a main track. Basically, a train parked on the main track was hit by another train. We thought that the new

Transport committee  It has no price. A nightmare like Lac Mégantic must not happen again. In my opinion, Transport Canada must take reasonable action. If that means taking away the licence of a company that doesn't respect the rules, then so be it. Imposing fines is good, but we need to go further,

Transport committee  I think teams should be trained. We are talking about the transport of dangerous goods. I think that in these kinds of situation there should be teams of first responders who can step in when there is an incident or accident, in order to avoid catastrophes.

Transport committee  The position of the steelworkers union is clear. We want the information made public. I understand that in some situations—

Transport committee  We want to know what is on the trains. We want to know what these railways are transporting. We want to know what the trains contain. We are not asking that the information be given to everyone, but to the people involved so that they can make the right decisions when incidents o

Transport committee  With all due respect, sir, I don't know everything. I can't say how many people know what's in the SMS or how many don't. I can't answer that question.

Transport committee  I would like to add something, if I may. We are talking about the SMS and the applicable legislation, but I've realized that the safety rules are different in some cases. They are done on a piecemeal basis from company to company. I'll give you the example of MMA. The one-man cr

Transport committee  Exactly.