Transport Committee on May 8th, 2008

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Thank you. I just wanted to clarify that, because some out there are still suggesting that SMS is not a good system and is not going to enhance aviation safety in Canada, and that is simply not true.

Mr. Minister, I'd like to ask you a question about Bill C-7, which is essentially the bill presently before the House that would actually implement and regulate the implementation of SMS in Canada.

We had consultations from the aviation sector. They came from across Canada. They represented different stakeholders within the aviation industry. I believe we had some 19 committee meetings; we had.... How many days of debate did we have? We had nine days of debate in the House of Commons. Yet the NDP, for some reason I just don't understand, delayed the legislation. In fact, they hoisted the legislation--delayed it for an additional six months. Who knows what they're going to do right now?

Mr. Minister, has the delay in implementing this bill, in getting it passed in the House, hindered your efforts to actually improve the implementation of SMS in our aviation industry?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Thank you for the question, colleague.

I'm going to ask Mr. Preuss to go directly to the question that unfortunately I didn't have time to answer before, from Mr. Laframboise and from Mr. Masse, about the Auditor General saying minus 8% vis-à-vis what we're stating and the numbers we have as the number of inspectors out there. So maybe we can set that issue aside and then address the other issue as to why there are delay tactics here, or stalling.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

I can answer that.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

I know you will.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

I'm asking the questions, Mr. Chair.

[Merlin Preuss]

With respect to inspector numbers, Mr. Grégoire stated and we've stated several times that the staffing levels we're dealing with have not changed. In fact, since 2001 we've gone from 866 authorized staff to somewhere around 871 or 873, if my memory serves me correctly. So it's not a question of changing the authorized staffing levels. What the Auditor General has picked out is the normal fluctuations that happen based on how the staffing process has worked and the availability of employees to fill the vacancies that are showing up.

So there's nothing in the report that would indicate we've changed our staffing levels, to my knowledge. It has indicated that, like a lot of the industry and not just the aviation industry, there are problems with staffing, which we are well on our way to handling with both departmental and aviation-industry-related recruitment and retention initiatives through our human resource planning.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

All right, I will get back to the original question. Are the delays in getting Bill C-7 passed in the House hampering your efforts to do a better job of implementing SMS?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

You know, Mr. Fast, the bill basically is one that would create a legislative basis for the establishment of SMS.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Masse, on a point of order.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Thank you.

We're all aware that the government has pulled Bill C-7 from the order paper. That is its decision to do so. It has not been the decision of the New Democratic Party. The government has put Bill C-7 on the order paper and taken it off. That has been the reality.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

It's more a point of debate, I think.

I will ask the minister or his.... Or are we back to your question, Mr. Fast?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Well, since Mr. Masse raised a point of order, which wasn't a point of order, I will just respond. In fact, it's very clear—

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

No, no, Mr. Fast. I would ask you, Mr. Fast, please—

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

—that the hoist motion that the NDP imposed delayed it by six months.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Fast, continue with your questioning.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Go ahead, please, Mr. Minister.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

I was just going to say that I would ask colleagues, of course, to adopt this piece of legislation as soon as possible. I think it's an important building block in the safety management systems that we want to put in place.

Now, I know there are concerns that have been addressed. I feel those concerns that were raised here have been essentially addressed by the number of people this committee has met, and I would just encourage the committee to adopt this piece of legislation, which I believe to be extremely important for the future.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

I have one last question, and that's getting back to the level of inspectors we have right now.

Are any of you individuals who are appearing here as witnesses aware of anything within Bill C-7 that would address the level of inspectors? Is there anything within Bill C-7 that would prevent the number of inspections being reduced?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Well, I'm told by my officials here that that's not the case.

[Merlin Preuss]

Prevent or permit, Mr. Fast?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Prevent.

[Merlin Preuss]

No, not at all. In fact, the system is set up such that we will have the capacity to do things the way we've been doing them in the past, if that should prove to be necessary.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

All right. So you don't expect the level of inspectors will go down. Is that correct?

[Merlin Preuss]

Not based on what we've been presented with so far. It's not something that's....