Evidence of meeting #7 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 rail.
A recording is available from Parliament.
April 11th, 2016 / 5:25 p.m.
National Rail Director, Unifor
If I may say, from a personal perspective, we're railway workers too and and we live in the communities. Every time there's a derailment in a community, every time there's a rail story in a community, people look to us for answers.
You need to understand, as I said earlier, the iron content in our blood is pretty high. We are defenders of the railway. We are promoters of the railway, but as Brother Benson says here, we need some action.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
Dianne Lynn Watts Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Just as an FYI, I'm not going to grow any gonads. I'm good enough on my own, thanks.
5:25 p.m.
An hon. member
Did you check what's in the water lately?
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
5:25 p.m.
Lobbyist, Teamsters Canada
It has never been this committee that hasn't acted. I'll tell you that for all the years I've been testifying before this committee, it has never been this committee that hasn't taken the action.
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I have one very brief comment and a reaction from everybody. What I've heard so far is that light-touch regulation and SMS is at best a layer that could be helpful, but should not necessarily be the thing that we use to secure a safely operating rail system.
What I've also heard is that moving away from that may involve government taking a more direct, proactive, progressive role, an activist role, which involves regulations that will run into difficulties with your members, as they will from the railway. That's a possibility as we look into things like fatigue management and having what some people might call the “heavy hand” of government come down to straighten things out.
On balance, is that a fair assessment? Are you guys really calling for government to step in with a more activist role in regulation, and will you be prepared to support that with your members even though it might rub some of them the wrong way?
5:25 p.m.
Lobbyist, Teamsters Canada
I have dealt with that in road. I will deal with it anywhere. It is a responsibility of a union to stand up and protect the health and safety of workers, and I will stand up at any meeting and tell them that.
That's why the regulations in trucking look like they are, and air look like they are, and if you bring them on in rail, I'll stand up and take the crap for it if you want, but the answer is yes, good laws, good regulations are good for everybody.
Our job is to protect our members, to build a good transportation system in this regard. Yes, we want our companies to make money fairly, not at the expense of the environment, public safety, or the health and safety of our workers. But the answer is no, that is not a problem.
5:25 p.m.
Coordinator, Montréal, United Steelworkers
We too are going to face the music. We also do not think that deregulation is the solution.
The Lac-Mégantic example is striking. There were no workers who got up one morning, took their lunch box and decided that there would be 40 casualties that evening. That event is mainly attributable to deregulation. There was an extremely negligent employer. It was a small railway company. Stricter regulation could have prevented this incident.
The responsibility for that event has to be placed on the company that was negligent, rather than bringing criminal charges against the workers.
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, Mr. Arseneau.
It is now 5:30. I want to thank very sincerely on behalf of the committee Mr. Arseneau, Mr. Benson, and all of you who took time out of your schedules to come to testify here, as you've done before, but certainly you've made it very clear.
We've all heard enough. There have been enough decisions, but never any action. Your message to us, I believe, is that you want action this time. Frankly, it's clear that we do need to try to make that happen.
Thank you all very much for being here.
Once the witnesses have left, we have to have some time for committee business. If the witnesses could exit fairly quickly, we would appreciate that very much.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I leave that up to the committee. What's the wish of the committee? Do they wish to go in camera?
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
We have been called to go in camera for committee business.
All right, give us a second.
[Proceedings continue in camera]