Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the department for being here and the work you've done on this act to make our railroads safer.
I live in British Columbia. The community I live in is on the main CP line. We have, on a good day, 37 trains a day going through our community. The rail goes right along Shuswap Lake, which is where people enjoy recreation and it is also from where we draw our water. So rail safety is a big issue in my community.
One of the things I want to discuss is the rail operating certificate. There is a compulsory emergency response plan that the rail companies have to submit. I'm just going to give you an example. In our community, one of the CP locomotives went off the track and started leaking fuel toward the lake. We have our own regional emergency response plan. They were able to go out and secure the area. They were the first responders, the first ones there.
When they put these plans together, has there been consultation with the provinces and regional governments to incorporate their plans with the plans within the operating certificate?