Evidence of meeting #27 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was agency.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Do they give you a copy of a safety management system for each railway?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No.
Liberal
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No.
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No, we haven't. The safety management system is a framework.
Liberal
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
That's my understanding, that's just my personal understanding.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
In your dealings with Transport Canada, is that their understanding as well?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
I believe so, but we ask specific questions. We are less interested in the framework. We're interested in whether or not Transport Canada performed any inspections on specific lines, and Transport will then share their reports with us. If they have any orders against specific parts of the line that need to be repaired, they will provide this information to us. In other words, when they find some deficiencies related to railway infrastructure, they will advise—
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
So what they tell you, from Transport Canada, is entirely discretionary on their part? Can they decide what they can or cannot tell you?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
Well, I wouldn't say it's entirely discretionary. We work together, we're in the same portfolio, so we share information.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
In the three years that the audit was done by the Auditor General, did they tell you that they only audited eight federal railways, and they didn't audit VIA Rail once in three years—carrying four million passengers a year? Did they tell you that?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No, and this was not the question we asked because when we were examining MMA, for example, we asked specifically about that railway, we didn't—
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Did they tell you that they have a three-year rotation cycling system for the auditing of railways?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
I understand from their statements that this is publicly available.
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
The rotational audits of—
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Okay.
Did they tell you that they only had half of the qualified inspectors to perform the audits for safety systems?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
So none of this has been factored into the certificate of fitness?
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
No.
Director General, Dispute Resolution Branch, Canadian Transportation Agency
As I said, we asked specific information about MMA, the condition of their track, and any kinds of orders that Transport Canada put on specific parts of that track, and Transport provided this information.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Did they tell you that the methodology used to determine the inspections was flawed?