House of Commons Hansard #82 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was transport.
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Chair, we heard from a number of witnesses in committee from the Canadian firemen's association with respect to the flow of information with respect to what is being transported.
I wonder if the minister can tell Canadians of the discussions she has had with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs with respect to rail safety and the role of first responders in the event of an accident.
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs has been absolutely essential for our ability to work with the community on the issues of first responders. They have attended our meetings. They have met with me on a one-on-one basis. They have met with my officials. They have met with my staff as well. Their input is invaluable. I thank them for it, and I am very pleased that they themselves ended up commending our government for requiring emergency response assistance plans for these shipments and that they feel we are listening to the public safety concerns of emergency responders.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, as a lot of people have done tonight, I would like to wish a happy birthday to the minister. After seeing her performance at the press gallery dinner, I will not sing her Happy Birthday, but I do wish her happy birthday for what is left of it.
Funding for the motor vehicle safety program has been cut by 34% since 2009, from $34 million to less than $21 million this year. How many staff are currently working on this program?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
With respect to the motor vehicle safety program, Mr. Chair, we have 80 full-time equivalents in these positions.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, that is down from 126 full-time positions in 2009. Which positions have been cut, and which programs have been affected?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
With respect to the question, Mr. Chair, affected positions were mainly responsible for outreach, which is road-user education, communications, and design. They were not related to legislative or regulatory operations and were not in the defects investigations and recalls division, meaning that they were not part of the safety administration.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, in June, a fatal road accident happened in Quebec. That accident may have been caused by a defective GM part.
When did GM become aware of the problem?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, with respect to the accident that happened last year, that accident was not tied to potential recalls of GM vehicles until afterward. I was notified of the recall issue with respect to GM on February 28.
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, on February 10, 2014, GM Canada issued the recall affecting 153,000 vehicles, specifically with respect to a defect that could allow an ignition to unintentionally move from the “run” position to the “accessory” or “off” position.
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, Transport Canada was notified when GM Canada issued its recall on February 10, 2014.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, GM has been subjected to five different U.S. inquiries or investigations, and its CEO has testified at two U.S. government hearings. Why does the Government of Canada not want Canadians to get answers from GM?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
With respect to the ongoing investigations in the United States, Mr. Chair, the timing of when the parent company knew of this defect is actually under investigation by U.S. authorities. We know that GM Canada does not act independently of its parent company. Decision-making like this on recalls is centralized, as it is with other manufacturers.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, does the minister not want Canadians to get answers and ask questions of GM directly?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, we have the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, and in that act, there is an obligation on manufacturers to let us know when there is a defect and to recall, if that is the case. We expect that manufacturers will adhere to that act. We expect that they would do so, because there are fines and possible imprisonment should they not do so.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, the problem is that the minister tells us that Transport Canada knew about it in February, but GM, according to reports in the media, knew about the problem back in 2001. Why did it take so long?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, this is something that is subject to great scrutiny and investigation in the United States. As I said, decision-making happens in the United States, and Canada is not separate from that. It is something that is held in the United States with respect to those matters.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, why not allow us to ask questions at the transport committee here in Canada?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, as I indicated already, GM Canada issued recalls. We do not have information as to whether it knew of that issue or that defect prior to the recall being given to Transport Canada. Transport Canada, of course, has been involved with respect to prosecutions under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act in the past. The difficulty is that we are waiting to see what is happening in the United States with respect to their information. The investigations will continue there.
Further to that, it is fair to say, correcting something I said earlier, that Transport Canada was not aware of an ignition switch issue prior to receiving its first notice from GM Canada in February. Therefore, there was no connection made to that previous accident the hon. member referred to that happened, unfortunately, in June of last year.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, it is a shame that the minister does not want us to ask her and GM questions in committee.
Now I would like to talk about an issue that is very important to me: the Champlain Bridge. Transport Canada is responsible for building the new Champlain Bridge, yet the Minister of Infrastructure is the one in charge of the project.
What is the minister's role in this file?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, we have been very clear from the beginning on the matter with respect to this bridge. Although work is being carried out by Transport Canada, this is a bridge that is under the authority and under the carriage of the file of my colleague, the Minister of Infrastructure.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, the minister who is currently managing the file has managed to turn everyone against the government's position. It would be good if the Minister of Transport took over the file. Can she tell us what proportion of the construction costs will be paid for by the toll?
Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton, ON
Mr. Chair, what I can say is, I am very confident in my colleague, the Minister of Infrastructure's handling of the file. He was an excellent transport minister. He is an excellent infrastructure minister and intergovernmental affairs minister. He will manage this file to his greatest capabilities. I have great confidence in him.
With respect to the Champlain Bridge itself, as I indicated, he has carriage of that file. Although Transport Canada is involved with respect to supporting the minister on that file, it is not something within my portfolio.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like to point out that normally, the same amount of time is supposed to be allocated to the question and the answer. Some of the answers are longer than my questions.
Since this is tied to her department, can the minister tell us how many jobs the new bridge construction will create?