Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thought it was comical, Taylor, because you wanted to dispense with this quickly, and you just...but I understand your passion on it, and I appreciate that.
I do want to say a few things.
There is no question that we support, in principle, the direction that Mr. Bachrach has taken here. I have concerns with respect to this information getting out to the public. I think those concerns have to do with the sensitivity vis-à-vis the risk of some of the materials that are being carried, whether it be on a train or a ship, and the availability of that information, adding to the possibility of things happening that we don't want to happen based on what those railcars or ships are carrying. Especially in today's climate, at times, it's something that can be a double-edged sword. I think all of you recognize what I'm saying with respect to that.
For the most part, looking at our CERTs, our community emergency response teams, as a former mayor, I was appreciative of the process. That process isn't up to the mayor to facilitate. It's up to the emergency response team, usually headed by the fire chief in smaller municipalities. In bigger municipalities, it could be someone more dedicated to that position alone. We do have a fire chief here today, and I'm looking forward to hearing his comments with respect to that in particular, as they relate the “how” to the “what”.
How would you respond to the “what”, which is any individual situation that may arise in your jurisdiction?
We look at ERAP, the emergency response assistance plan. I would assume that all the particulars of ERAP, which is what the member is asking for, are already well known by fire chiefs across the nation. In fact, it's what they put in place when they put together their emergency preparedness plans, as well as the response to those plans when the mayor declares a state of emergency within their jurisdiction. Once that happens, the chief brings the team together. That will include all the emergency responders, whether they be fire, ambulance or police. The list goes on with respect to those who look after infrastructure and every aspect of what an emergency would otherwise attach to.
Of course, the emergency responder who is leading that team will then put into place the protocols they would have contained within their emergency plan. This is usually in a big red, blue, white or black book that they put in place based on what they've been taught, trained on and are ready to put in place according to that declaration of an emergency.
Going to the motion at hand—and I'll put my parliamentary secretary of transport hat on—the concern that I have is the time. We're talking about documents that can equal up to about 30,000 pages and have to be translated as well. Frankly, that's not going to happen before January 15. That's just the reality of it.
At the same time, I want the member, as well as this committee, to get the information that they want to look at. It gives us time, as well, to post that and then to ask the people who really count, the people who would be heading off these CERTs and these emergency teams, and to get their opinions on what the member is looking for with respect to what's in those documents.
Mr. Chair, I would ask for an amendment to the motion that would remove the deadline, so that we can provide reasonable time for the document collection and translation. We don't even know at this point how many pages the documents may be, but we're estimating a minimum of 30,000 pages. It's going to make for some good nighttime reading for all the members, and I'm sure you're all going to read all 30,000 pages. Otherwise, there's no sense in getting those documents ready for committee.
Therefore, what I would like the motion to read, and I can forward this to the clerk, is that Transport Canada provide them to the committee by February 15, 2025, so it's:
that the documents in question be provided in both official languages and considered at an in camera meeting of the committee to take place before February 15, 2025, and that these documents be kept confidential by the committee and members.
I feel, therefore, that we can have the documents presented to us in both official languages. Of course, from there, it will give some time for the committee to read the 30,000-plus pages that you're asking for.
I'll say in conclusion, Mr. Chair, that I was one of the people Mr. Bachrach was referring to in terms of asking him to allow this, but it was more to ask him to sit down with Transport Canada first to get a bit more granular on the pages that are required in terms of the information, so we're not asking the committee to read through 30,000 pages, of which only maybe 3,000 are relevant to what Mr. Bachrach's looking for. It makes it easier on members of the committee; however, I wasn't afforded that.
Again, we're going to need a bit of time to get our team to put together those 30,000 pages and, of course, the process for members of the committee to digest those 30,000 pages and then make reasonable responses to them. Then, of course, we need to allow the analysts to get our responses to that and add them into the final report and, of course, look for the recommendations that will come out of the committee based on that report.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.