Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, Madam Chair and committee members. My name is Kevin Brosseau. As mentioned, I'm the assistant deputy minister of safety and security at Transport Canada. I am joined by Brigitte Diogo, the director general of rail safety, and Benoit Turcotte, the director general of transportation of dangerous goods. Given that our time today is short, I will keep my opening remarks similarly short to ensure that we have sufficient time for your questions.
Canada maintains one of the safest rail transportation systems in the world as a result of shared efforts between numerous partners, including other levels of government, railway companies, the TSB, as you just heard, and communities.
Transport Canada remains committed to improving public safety as it relates to the transport of dangerous goods by rail.
Transport Canada takes its leadership role seriously, and has a rigorous and robust rail safety regulatory framework and oversight program in place. We've taken significant actions to enhance public safety during the transport of dangerous goods by rail, including flammable liquids by rail, under the pillars of prevention, effective response and accountability. I'll list a few of these actions. They include reducing permitted train speed and accelerating older tank phase-out timelines for the transport of crude oil. In addition, the department has implemented new requirements related to liability and compensation, classification and emergency response, means of containment standards, and additional inspections in key route and key train requirements. Through these actions and 33,000 oversight activities per year, and others, Transport Canada is committed to promoting a rail safety culture in order to keep Canadians safe.
With those words, we look forward to taking your questions.
Thank you.