Transport Committee on Nov. 25th, 2013

Evidence of meeting #3 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 company.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Review of the Canadian Transportation Safety Regime: Transportation of Dangerous Goods and Safety Management Systems

MPs speaking

Jonathan Genest-Jourdain

Peter Braid

Peter Stoffer

Wai Young

Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet

Harold Albrecht

Lawrence Toet

Ed Komarnicki

Also speaking

Gerard McDonald Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Martin Eley Director General, Civil Aviation, Department of Transport

Donald Roussel Director General, Marine Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Luc Bourdon Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport

Marie-France Dagenais Director General, Transportation of Dangerous Goods, Department of Transport

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Gerard McDonald

Yes. Instead of our coming to a company on a periodic basis, be it one year, two years, or six months, and kicking the tires, say, to see whether or not things are working properly, it institutes a system whereby the company has an obligation on a day-to-day basis to ask whether they are meeting these regulatory requirements and what system they have in place to ensure that they are meeting them.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

It builds a culture of safety within the enterprise.

5:30 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Gerard McDonald

Exactly, yes.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

There you go, Mr. Chair. I got three for one.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

It's not often that the chair reserves his chance to ask a question or make a comment, but something which I think the committee needs to remember, and the officials as well, is that it's quite obvious that oil and other dangerous products have to be moved.

Mr. McDonald, would you and your officials agree that it's Transport Canada's job, in consultation with this committee, hopefully, to work better to not stop the flow of these products but to see that it's done safely? Would you agree with that principle?

5:30 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Gerard McDonald

Absolutely. In fact, that's embedded in law in the rail industry. It's a common carrier obligation that they have to carry the products that are presented to them.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Thank you very much.

Mr. McGuinty.

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Mr. Chair, are we going to be meeting again as an executive committee to come up with a work plan?

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

I was going to briefly do that.

On Wednesday we have officials here on the transportation of dangerous goods, and next Tuesday I'm going to call a meeting—it will have to be in camera—to discuss committee business and the direction of this committee on this study as we go forward. It will be next Monday; I'm sorry.

Thanks again to our officials for being here.

The meeting is adjourned.