Evidence of meeting #22 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 system.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Thank you for being here. It's good to see you.
I want to talk about trade corridors specifically in our neck of the woods and in metro Vancouver. In the report we're talking about governance, and you said it was extremely important. I couldn't agree more, because I think where there's so much conflict is when you have so many different organizations that have a piece of something. Whether you're looking at Port Metro or metro Vancouver or you have three levels of government, they can be at cross purposes with one another. Also, there's that cross-ministerial co-operation, not only federally but provincially as well. I think we're seeing a lot play out right now, with the municipalities and Port Metro at loggerheads because of the land that's needed to preserve some of the economic activity.
Given all that—and I would expect it would be frustrating for you—I know they set up the Asia-Pacific gateway group and tried to bring everybody together, but it still hasn't solidified in terms of how we can better advantage all of those elements along that corridor. What would be your advice in terms of looking at it holistically 10, 20, or 30 years down the road and making it all work? In all of those elements.... I mean right there close to the expansion of T2 is the second largest border crossing in the country, which carries billions of dollars' worth of goods back and forth with the U.S.—trucking—that doesn't play a feature in that whole corridor. How do we get past all of that?
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
The short answer is money.
The long answer is this. When I was in government, I was minister for international trade with added responsibility for the Asia-Pacific gateways and corridors initiative. In our report we have noted that other countries in the world looked at what we did there, which was to integrate transportation trade-related corridors, and infrastructure decision-making was driven by the merits of the investment for the trade corridor. It wasn't building ice rinks in politically marginal ridings or anything.
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
It was which investments are actually going to improve Canada's trade performance that was the guiding factor. We had recommended in the report that there be a very close collaboration between the Minister of Transport and the minister of—I don't know what it's called today; it used to be called international trade, DFAIT. There needs to be close collaboration between those ministers in particular around infrastructure planning, trade policy integration with transportation planning, and vice versa. Then there needs to be the provincial-municipal loop through this advisory council that we've talked about on transportation and logistics.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Right. I think that model is a good model that will work. It's a matter of getting everybody on the same page and going the same way. There are different agendas sometimes at the municipal level.
When it comes to governance, that body would have to have significant political will and authority for making all of those decisions all the way down the line.
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
Yes. For me, that body would be mandated under a revised Canada Transportation Act, and there would be a Canadian transportation and logistics strategy that would be evergreened.
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
Rather than the decennial review that we've just undertaken, there should be virtually an ongoing at least annual review, but first you need a strategy to review—
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
—and you need to develop a strategy. I think federal infrastructure funding can be used to leverage local decision-making to make the decisions that are good for the national system and good for the local community.
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
Money does it. Money gives you the leverage, and the strategy gives you the guideposts.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
I think that's probably more advantageous when you have that model put into legislation. Then that's where you get your—
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
9:30 a.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, Mr. Emerson and Mr. Al-Katib.
I want to focus on Bill C-30, which was something that was brought along due to some extraordinary circumstances. Those circumstances haven't gone away. Our crops are continually improving, and who knows what the weather is going to deal us. I want to focus first on that, and then perhaps later in this session, I want to come back to some broader issues that you addressed in your report.
With interswitching, what I understand is that there's no big problem if we leave it at 160 for a while. We need something longer term or a longer-term strategy to migrate to something else.
9:30 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
That's a fair comment, although I don't like the idea, because there are other shippers out there who have an equally legitimate claim for special treatment and they're not getting it.
9:30 a.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Okay, fair enough.
For reciprocal obligations, if you will, the people who have come to my office have said, “If I'm late loading the cars, I pay a penalty, and if the shipper is late in having the ship pick up from the cars, they pay a penalty, but if the railways are late delivering those cars, then big deal.” Are you recommending that there be some reciprocal balanced obligations between all the players?
9:35 a.m.
Former Chair, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
Yes, and I'll let Murad, who's an expert on this, speak to that.
9:35 a.m.
Former Advisor, Canada Transportation Act Review Panel, As an Individual
We recommended clearly that with service level agreements a shipper should have the right within the definition of “operational terms” that reciprocity shall govern operational terms. For absolute clarity, reciprocity would include reciprocal financial consequences as a right of a shipper under a service level agreement that may be arbitrated by the Canada Transportation Agency if the parties cannot come to a commercially negotiated agreement.
