Transport Committee on June 15th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you, Mr. Oommen.

Mr. McCrorie, do you have that data?

[Aaron McCrorie]

We don't have it readily at hand, but we might be able to dig it out and provide it. I don't know if we have it, but we can certainly see if we can find it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you, Mr. McCrorie. If you could forward that to the clerk after the meeting or sometime this week, we'll forward it to the member.

Mr. Kram.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

What about economic studies, either nationally or regionally, on the effects of the blockades? Would any of the witnesses care to comment on that?

[Aaron McCrorie]

I'm not aware of any national studies that looked at the effects of the blockades.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. Kram.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Perhaps Mr. Oommen would care to comment, if he has any information.

[Tom Oommen]

Chair, we don't have such studies.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

All right.

I think it's fair to say that one of the main reasons for the railway blockades stopping last year was the pandemic. Now that we are coming out of it, what is the Government of Canada doing to make sure that blockades don't start up again as soon as the pandemic is over?

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. McCrorie.

[Aaron McCrorie]

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair. It's a very challenging one.

As the rail safety regulator, our focus is on ensuring the safe operation of railway. Those regulatory tools don't directly apply to blockades, except in the instance of trespassing. I'd have to refer the question to others within the federal government, though, for what is being done to address the issues behind the blockades and why people are blockading.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

I understand that the root causes behind the blockades can be diverse and varied, but if and when people do choose to blockage railways, what options are there from a regulator's perspective? Mr. Bachrach referred to police forces of the railways. Should the railways be taking a more proactive approach? What is the best way to address blockades if they do happen?

[Aaron McCrorie]

It's a very difficult and challenging question. Each blockage is going to have different circumstances attached to it, different root causes and different paths to solutions. Ultimately, it's more of a law enforcement issue than it is a real safety issue, and so it's incumbent upon the railway companies to work with the police of local jurisdictions, as well as with the courts, through injunctions, to address these.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

All right, I will admit that the witnesses were a lot faster in answering my questions than I had anticipated, so I will cede my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you, Mr. Kram.

We're now going to the Liberal Party, with Mr. El-Khoury for five minutes.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank our guests for joining us today and welcome them.

My first questions are for Mr. McCrorie.

How many times has the Canadian Transportation Agency ordered railway companies to make changes to their operations?

Why is the mediation process still [Technical difficulty—Editor]?

Finally, how much time is generally needed to find a solution?

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. Oommen.

[Tom Oommen]

Thank you, Chair.

Yes I will mention that processes of either mediation or arbitration are confidential. On our website we have time frames, once a complete application is received, as to how long our processes take. For that we list, for example in the case of facilitation, that it's 20 business days for rail disputes, 20 business days for the resolution of a mediation process, and 30 to 65 days, depending on the type of arbitration.... Those are listed on our website.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Could you tell us what measures you are taking every year concerning environmental protection, potential noise or odours that may bother those who live close to railways?

Are there any measures you analyze from year to year and, if so, that you modify?

[Tom Oommen]

Chair, we follow up on any agency orders that are issued following the filing of an application or a complaint. For example, if there's a noise and vibration order issued, then any subsequent complaints or any implication that a railway company is not following what they're supposed to be following will be investigated by one of our designated enforcement officers, subject to penalty if possible.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

My next questions are for Mr. McCrorie.

How many accidents have resulted in fatalities over the past full year and for which of those do we have files?

How come [Technical difficulty—Editor] over the past 10 years, have trends been noted?

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. McCrorie.

[Aaron McCrorie]

I'm going to ask my colleague Mike DeJong to take it, if I may.

[Michael DeJong]

Thank you for the question.

Last year, in 2020, there were 59 fatalities on Canada's railway network, which was 13 fewer than the previous year according to Transportation Safety Board statistics. This represents a downward trend relative to the five-year average, as well, over the course of the last 10 years.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

What percentage of those accidents are the result of people trespassing on railways, for instance, to attempt suicide?