Thank you, Mr. Chair, and to committee members, for allowing us to present to you all the work that Via Rail is doing to provide a barrier-free travel experience for our passengers, from booking to destination.
We are proud of our efforts to date, as recognized by the Auditor General, and our teams will continue to carry out our many initiatives in this area with dedication and professionalism.
With me today is Catherine Langlois, senior advisor on universal accessibility.
Via Rail is committed to being the most accessible national and intercity carrier in Canada. That is why we have undertaken several major initiatives over the past few years to create an environment in which every person with a disability can travel independently and with confidence. This means we are working every day to improve our services so that all of our passengers can enjoy the same quality experience for which Via Rail is so often recognized.
Today, I want to share with you the plans we have in place to remove any remaining barriers and to make Via Rail a fully accessible mobility option for Canadians. Please allow me to explain some of our initiatives.
First of all, Via Rail benefits from a unique expertise since the establishment of a universal accessibility advisory committee in 2021. This committee is made up of organizations representing a wide range of people with disabilities. Their advice is invaluable and helps to better determine the needs of passengers and identify the criteria for success so that Via Rail can continue to be the most accessible carrier in Canada. When Via Rail launches a new project, the members of this committee are informed and, depending on the nature of the project, are invited to become involved to varying degrees.
Via Rail recently began marketing the first trainsets of our brand-new fully accessible fleet of trains to serve the Quebec-Windsor corridor. I am personally proud of the inclusive approach we have taken to provide an experience that best meets the needs of people with disabilities and their companions. Some of our advisory committee members have already been invited to experience it.
In addition, Via Rail has developed and launched a comprehensive accessibility training program. This training is offered to both senior management and frontline staff. To date, all members of our senior management team have completed this training, with the exception of two new executives who began their roles in April 2023. This training will be updated on a regular basis to ensure that our entire workforce has a good understanding of how our organization operates to provide a fully accessible experience for our passengers. Training material will also be reviewed in collaboration with representatives from partner organizations to address any gaps in the teaching methods used.
As for the management of complaints lodged by our passengers, since last February we have been the subject of an extended review by all of the business units concerned, which are in the best position to make the required changes. We are also committed to developing and implementing a strategy to improve the analysis of complaint data on an annual basis. Detailed quarterly reports on accessibility complaints will be produced and forwarded to our experts, who will work to remedy the situation. Progress reports will then be presented to our advisory committee members.
With the ultimate goal of providing a fully accessible experience at every stage of the customer journey, the accessibility of Via Rail's digital assets—such as our online presence and reservation system—has also been upgraded to provide significant improvements to our passengers.
Via Rail is excited to launch a new reservation system in the near future. This new system will be a critical step in the fully accessible experience we are committed to providing to our passengers. At the same time, we are modernizing other important information systems, including the content of our web pages. We are committed to ensuring that our content meets accessibility standards in this area, and to that end, we will have our digital assets evaluated by an accessibility specialist and will implement all recommendations from that annual review.
I am confident that the measures presented today will address the issues raised by the Auditor General so that Via Rail can better understand and meet the needs of its passengers.
In closing, I would like to reiterate Via Rail's commitment to being the most accessible carrier in Canada. We are proud of the work we have done and are committed to continuing all efforts, as we work with the government and all our partners to create a barrier-free society for Canadians.
We will be pleased to answer your questions.