Transport Committee on Oct. 10th, 2024

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you for that, Minister.

You know, in my previous life, before becoming a member of Parliament, I used to lead teams in the financial industry. At the beginning of the year, we used to put down objectives and what action plan we would put in place to make sure that they achieved results. Through your conversations with your department and also with Via Rail, do you feel confident that what Via Rail says it will be doing it will achieve results on? If it doesn't, what do you see as perhaps being some consequences?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

That is exactly why I wanted to speak with the CEO and the chair of the board, and I asked for separate calls. I wanted to speak with them separately, because they occupy separate roles in the corporation.

Every time there is a new chair, we put forward a letter of expectation, and the board has to hold executives accountable. That's why I wanted to speak with the chair of Via Rail alone—because that is the role of the board and specifically the chair of the board—and that was the subject of our conversation. After that call, I then spoke with the CEO and emphasized the need for an implementation plan for all of the demands in Mr. Rodriguez's letter to them just after the incident occurred.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you so much, Minister.

Thank you, Ms. Koutrakis.

The floor is yours for two and a half minutes, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, you said just now that since being appointed, you had had the opportunity to speak with all of the managements of the airline companies in Canada. I would like to talk to you about Air Transat in particular.

It is a well-known fact that Air Transat has been renegotiating its pandemic debt with the government for a year now. During the pandemic, the company needed financing and it was given assistance. Unlike Air Canada, Air Transat was not given preferential treatment, and so Air Transat—

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

—received money in the form of debt, rather than receiving money in the form of equity.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Excuse me, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval. I am going to stop you here to hear a point of order. You have got to 42 seconds.

The floor is yours, Mr. Lauzon.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Chair, earlier we could see a connection with the airline companies, since a witness mentioned them, but the Bloc Québécois member has asked questions relating directly to air transportation, when we are here to talk about Via Rail's problems. I wonder whether it is really appropriate at this time to be asking a question about that. We seem to have gone off topic.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Lauzon.

Mr. Barsalou‑Duval, I tend to agree with Mr. Lauzon. We invited the minister to ask her questions about the incident that occurred on August 31, and your question is unrelated to that. If you want to ask a question about that incident, you have the floor.

You have two minutes left.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

That's fine. I would like an opportunity to speak about this with the minister at some point. Because she referred to the airline companies, I thought it might be appropriate to pursue that discussion.

Regarding Via Rail more specifically, we see the constant delays that occur. Delays have risen from 16% in 2011 to 27% in 2017 and 41% in 2023. These are the consequences of a chronic lack of investment, for one thing, and the fact that there are no dedicated tracks, for another. The situation is just getting worse, Minister, and your party has been in power for nine years.

On the subject of the HFR, the high-frequency rail, we do not even know yet what it is going to look like, even though this campaign promise has been around for an eternity.

Do you think the current situation results from your government being slow to recognize the situation and make the right decisions?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I would like to get a clarification, Mr. Chair.

Are we talking about the HFR or the current situation?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Barsalou‑Duval, I will let you ask your question again, and I will give you 20 seconds more so you can clarify it for the minister.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

It won't be easy to say what I said in 20 seconds.

Broadly speaking, Minister, what I said is that the current situation regarding routine delays and service interruptions at Via Rail is a result of your government not making the investments needed, even though you have been in power for nine years.

Do you think your government has failed to make progress on issues that should have progressed a long time ago, including the high-frequency train project?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

That is not the case.

As I already said, we have invested in our rail network and we will continue to make investments, including in high-speed and high-frequency trains. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval.

Next we have Mr. Bachrach.

The floor is yours, sir. You have two and a half minutes, please.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I sense my colleague's frustration that we have to constrain this conversation to the incident involving Via Rail. Since we do have a new Minister of Transport, I wonder if I could make a motion to invite the minister back to this committee prior to the Christmas break to more broadly discuss her transportation mandate.

If it's in order, I'll move that motion now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Bachrach.

To save you the time—I'll also let you start over so that you don't lose your 20 seconds—I'll let you know that there is another invitation on the table. That's why I'm being strict right now. The members have already asked that we invite the minister to come back and answer questions regarding supplementals as well as her mandate letter.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

What's the timing on that appearance, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I believe it's before the end of October.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Carine Grand-Jean]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

That's what's currently on the table, colleagues. That's why I'm being very strict here in trying to make sure that we get the questions answered relating to Via Rail.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

It's by the end of October.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Whether or not the minister has the time to do that is another story. What I'm saying is that we have another invitation on the table.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

We're generous with our invitations.

[Voices]

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