Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Hogan, for your presentation.
While we understand that the focus of the audit at this point was very much on looking at the activities that were going on and whether they were, in fact, in accordance with the recommendations made in the 2013 audit, I think what most Canadians are interested in and certainly what I'm interested in is the issue of rail safety in Canada. Is rail safety, in fact, improving? I believe you stated in your report that there has been, and this is a direct quote, “some improvement in the rate of accidents relative to rail traffic volume.”
Also, we know that in 2018, the Railway Safety Act review concluded that the “safety of the rail system has improved in the last 5 to 10 years”. It also stated:
Due to a sustained focus on inspections, compliance and enforcement, as well as technological improvements and investments in rail infrastructure, main train track derailments caused by equipment or track failures have been on the decrease.
It also noted that over the last five years, the number of fatalities resulting from railway operations decreased by 27% and the number of accidents—although I'm not quite sure what the definition of “accident” is—decreased by 12%.
You've made a statement to Ms. Kusie in terms of your impression of safety, but surely some of these statistics are valid and seem to show a decrease in fatalities and accidents.