I will start.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the standing committee for allowing me the opportunity to testify today.
My name is Alan Brousseau, and I'm the executive vice-president for international enrollment services at L-1 .
I have brought Mr. Dick Spencer with me today from our Nashville office, who is a senior vice-president and has extensive experience in HAZMAT security clearance programs similar to the one that's being proposed or contemplated in Bill C-9. I also have with me Mr. John Conohan, former RCMP officer, who's an expert in security clearances and criminal history background checks in Canada.
Our company, L-1 Identity Solutions, specializes in many different areas of identity management and security, and we typically do so by employing the use of biometrics. Biometrics include such items as fingerprinting, facial recognition, and iris scan technologies. Our company specializes in creating solutions, typically for government agencies that are seeking to mitigate the risks associated with security threats, and providing them with the tools necessary to protect their assets.
We have a lot of experience in providing government agencies with logistical expertise in terms of rolling out programs that would credential or enroll applicants for security clearances. I think the most relevant experience that we, and specifically Mr. Spencer, will speak to you about today is called the hazardous materials endorsement program, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration agency.
We also have experience in other similar federal U.S. programs, such as the transportation workers identity card, which is a credentialing program at all port facilities across the U.S., and HSPD-12, which is a credentialing program for all federal employees across the U.S.
We're here today to share with the committee some of our experiences in the HAZMAT program in the United States. The HAZMAT program involved collecting applications, enrolling, and fingerprinting over 800,000 truck drivers across the U.S. It's been going on for about three years, if I'm not mistaken. We also have a few friendly and constructive suggestions on how to perhaps strengthen the bill and strengthen, obviously, the objectives of the bill that you folks are discussing today.
On that note, I'll turn the floor over to Mr. Spencer, who will provide you with some insight on HAZMAT. Mr. Spencer is from Nashville, Tennessee, so he has a bit of an accent. If he's speaking too quickly, please ask him to slow down, and he's promised not to use the word “y'all”.