Evidence of meeting #15 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
Primarily what is eligible, for things like rolling stock, it's for rehabilitation. It could also include planning for further planned public transit developments. Typically what is not eligible would be borrowing costs, legal costs.
Liberal
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
This is probably for Transport Canada. I'm puzzled. Why would renewal of the tanker safety inspection program be left to the supplementary estimates (A)? Why is that not in the main budget?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
It's in the supplementary estimates (A) because it's a renewal for a year. It's bridge funding while we adjust our reference levels to look at which elements of these costs could be cost recovered from the tankers that we are inspecting. It's a one-year extension to existing funding that was allocated in 2012.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
They ran out at the end of March 2016.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
There hasn't, but because the budget was announced before, we continued operating the program.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
That's very interesting. I just caught that one.
This is for VIA Rail. I'm sure you've noticed, as have probably all the rail companies, that the new Alberta carbon reduction strategy includes requiring locomotives to reduce their carbon emissions. Is some of the money that's being allocated in these supplementary estimates going to include your planning for how you're going to adjust your spending for those carbon fees?
Chief Commercial Officer, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Thank you for the question. Specifically not in this submission, but on the renewal of the rolling stock we're looking at getting new locomotives for our services which would have a much lower pollution rate than the current ones we operate.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Can you give any idea of the timing of shifting over to cleaner emission locomotives for VIA Rail?
Chief Commercial Officer, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
That's part of the fleet renewal initiative. These typically are fairly lengthy processes. We're looking at a four- to five-year horizon before the new rolling stock is put into service.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Can you give us an assurance that you'll continue to deliver your good service, which many Canadians rely on, at the same time as delivering these new clean air initiatives?
Chief Commercial Officer, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Absolutely. Part of the fleet renewal program also includes an option to electrify some of the services so we get down to essentially zero emission. It's especially important in the urban centres, as you can imagine.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thanks. I look forward to following up on that with you at some later date in the committee.
I'll go back to Transport Canada, or maybe Infrastructure, on the northern project office. I'm not sure who is responsible. Is it Transport Canada?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
Yes.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I noticed the chapter in the Emerson report on northern transport. It was very interesting. We have so many things to review here. That's one of the topics that I suggested we look into. I had mentioned this before in committee, probably to Transport Canada, that there seems to be a difference of opinion even within the report that we should be allowing the northerners to set their own priorities in transport, and yet when you look at other parts of the Emerson report, the driver seems to be a southern interest in the development of the north.
Can you tell us if these new dollars for that office also include additional consultation with the first nation and Métis communities and the territorial government on what their future projects might be?
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
This is exactly for that, actually. As you may be aware, in the territories there are review boards that conduct the environmental assessments for development projects. Because many of these projects involve transportation elements, whether it's a port or a road or perhaps an airport, and because the federal government has responsibility for those and Transport Canada is the responsible entity, we work with the review boards to give them our technical expertise to make sure that those projects are being developed in a safe and environmentally responsible way and that they fit into the environmental assessment that they are doing for those projects.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Actually, I'm glad you raised that point, because of course this is a matter that we stood up for: the protection of those once-strong boards whose mandate has been emasculated. We're looking forward to this government's renewing those previous local powers.
The parliamentary budget officer has raised concerns about whether northern and aboriginal communities can deliver in the time set for the projects. Is this something that Transport Canada and maybe Infrastructure Canada might also like to look at, unless they leave it to INAC? I wonder whether or not you're looking for greater flexibility or longer-term funding opportunities for those communities as they struggle first of all to establish what the projects are and then deliver them effectively.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
I'll turn it over to Yazmine, since it's a project delivery question. These ones are more focused on environmental assessment.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
It's an excellent question, and indeed it's not just a question of capacity; it's also simply the realities of the construction season in the north. Typically, for infrastructure programs the funding profile of the flow of funds is usually longer for the territories, just to recognize that fact. We definitely try to ensure that we are designing the programs to meet their reality.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Are the funds no longer going to be allocated per year? Are you going to have longer-time funding? Are you going to give them a longer time period to deliver? I know this has been a historic problem with the infrastructure projects, that they had to be shovel-ready, and they might not be their highest priority, because they couldn't gear up fast enough or deliver the projects within their limited construction period.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
I'll just speak to the new programs that are running as a result of the budget and for which funding is being requested through supplementary estimates (A). In those programs—the public transit fund and the clean water and waste-water fund—the projects should be done in two years, but we understand and the government recognized that this would not be possible in the territories; therefore, the program length is extended for the territories.
