Evidence of meeting #6 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was inspectors.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
It sounds as if, as a result of your consultations, the meeting with 500 inspectors in your 21 sessions, you've decided to make some changes based on a bottom-up discussion on what needs to be done to make it safer. Is that correct?
Deputy Minister, Department of Transport
It's correct. I don't think any organization that is disconnected from its front line can be a successful organization, and that has been stressed to us by our minister, but to me as the deputy and Mr. Grégoire as the assistant deputy minister responsible, that is a critical issue for us.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
And you've got a working group now that's been established, and you're going to continue with that working group to continue the dialogue?
Deputy Minister, Department of Transport
I believe that engagement with the front line cannot be a one-shot deal. Our expectation, my expectation of the assistant deputy minister who reports to me, is that he and his colleagues will be out of Ottawa, on the ground, talking to our staff on a regular basis for years to come. No change at such a large organization with professional staff will take hold appropriately if the management is not out there close to their front line.
I will continue to go out and talk to all the staff of Transport Canada, but also the stakeholders. The group that has been established for me is not a working group. It is an advisory group of inspectors. That's an opportunity for the inspectors to tell their deputy how they see it from their own perspective. It's an important issue for me to have a sense of the front line as well.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Thank you.
When people ask me about SMS I often refer back to when my family was in the service industry. My father always used to say that everybody is empowered to stop something that isn't right. I try to explain to people that is how I interpret SMS. I often think that when I'm stranded in an airport or on an airplane, the reason I'm there and stranded is because somebody has been able to make that decision and stop us from taking off until it's safe.
Is that too simple, or is that the way you would describe it to the public as well?
Conservative
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Thank you very much.
I thank the deputy minister and her staff as well.
I guess one always tries to end off on a positive note. It's really quite difficult to be angry about issues when one sees what the deputy and her staff have done today, in giving an indication that there has been a change in at least perspective, if not direction. I say that in a very positive fashion. In the back of my mind I recall that the department already had in its possession the results of studies that addressed some of the issues, especially those related to one we've talked about at some length: pilot fatigue, how it fits into a safety management system, and how to establish that culture.
I look forward to getting some of that information Monsieur Grégoire has for us. I think the skeptical MP in me will probably want to ask questions then about why it took us so long to have this change in direction and approach, welcome as it is.
Deputy Minister, Department of Transport
Mr. Chairman, we will offer to come back after you have heard all of your witnesses. When the committee wants to ask us further questions, after being enlightened by all of the things you will hear, we will be happy to come back to have a further discussion.
Thank you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
Thank you very much. We appreciate your time today.
The meeting is adjourned.