I'd be happy to, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Fillmore, for the opportunity.
A little over a week ago, the Auditor General released a report that raised some very troubling concerns about rail safety in Canada, particularly the fact that the recommendations from the 2013 audit on rail safety had not all been implemented. This follows on the footsteps of the environment commissioner releasing a very similar report in which the environment commissioner was quoted as saying, “the window for a recurrence of a Lac-Mégantic-type disaster is still open.”
I live in a region where the volume of dangerous goods being transported by rail is projected to increase dramatically. It has already increased. Communities are worried about the risks that rail transport poses for community safety and for the environment. They want assurances that Canada's regulatory system and the oversight provided by Transport Canada is up to the task of protecting communities and the environment. That's why I bring this forward. The trains are running through northwest B.C. every single day at all times of the day. People deserve to know that they're being kept safe.
I would love to have the Auditor General and the minister at committee to provide more information on this very concerning report.