Mr. Keenan, I understand, things always take time. However, the people of Lac-Mégantic are concerned; several things have happened.
Over the past few years, Transport Canada has made a commitment to correct the shortcomings, but with each report, we can see that things are still going backwards. In his report, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development states the following:
1.30 We found that in 18 (30%) of 60 violations, Transport Canada did not verify that companies took corrective actions to return to compliance... - had no evidence to determine whether violations have been resolved, and that it did not follow up with companies to obtain the required evidence
It's very disturbing to read that when you have experienced and gone through a tragedy like the one in Lac-Mégantic.
In 2009, I sent a letter to Minister Garneau asking that dangerous goods no longer be transported by rail through Lac-Mégantic because the tracks were in terrible condition. Unfortunately, I did not even get an acknowledgement of receipt from Transport Canada or the minister's office. We know that those tracks were not built for trains running at such a low speed.
People are still worried, Mr. Keenan. What follow-up have you done on this matter? I could ask Ms. Crandall to send you the photos I received this morning of the current condition of the tracks. It would be good to send them to all committee members as well. Despite repairs by Canadian Pacific, Lac-Mégantic still has safety issues.
Mr. Keenan, you have set deadlines through to 2021. Honestly, with the staff you have, I wonder how you are going to be able to speed things up so that the next commissioner's report is not as devastating. Despite the progress, sadly, major gaps still remain.