Transport committee  Yes, I definitely think there is a way it could be done. I think that there's also an incentive for that, partly to ensure that there's actually something that is enshrined there that has some more permanence to it or some greater legal underpinning, partly primarily because when we look at Via's policies, for example, there have been different standards over the years for how passenger compensation, alternative transportation, refunds and travel credits, and those sorts of things, are given.

Transport committee  That's definitely a potential concern. I hope that if there is a movement to adopt passenger protection in regulations for rail passengers as well, similar to what's there for air passengers, the government would look first at the experience with the air passenger regulations and where those have succeeded, but also—as it has been quite clear today—where those have failed and where there are shortcomings and try to incorporate those kinds of considerations right from the outset.

Transport committee  I don't have anything further on that particular subject. Thank you, though.

Transport committee  Yes. I would certainly agree with that. I think there's definitely some merit to that. On that front, I would also say there's been talk here about looking to the EU for passenger protection standards around air passengers. There are also some good existing standards there for rail passengers as well, so I think we wouldn't be reinventing the wheel here.

Transport committee  Certainly in the case of the train that I was on, I think the responsibility for the actual delay largely falls on.... It's a combination of CN and, obviously, weather conditions as well. I think the major thing that falls on their shoulders in that particular case is the particular planning and the scheduling around what would be done to clear the line ahead of us and the decisions that were made from an operational standpoint.

Transport committee  Yes, absolutely. At the end of the day that would alleviate a lot of issues. I understand that, obviously, there are I guess logistical challenges with all of that, but we've certainly been able to see, when you look at Via's on-time performance reporting across their system, generally how smoothly things run within their operations.

Transport committee  Certainly. Thank you. I appreciate that opportunity. There are two main points in terms of thinking about the how, or at least where to focus that effort, when we get to the discussions around, specifically, the rail sector and how Via Rail's performance was affected at times like this.

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members. Good afternoon. My name is Tim Hayman. I'm the president of Transport Action Atlantic and a board member of Transport Action Canada. Transport Action is a non-profit organization advocating for convenient, affordable and sustainable public transportation, with a particular focus on passenger rail.