Debates of May 7th, 2014

Transport—Main Estimates, 2014–15

[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?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, again, I would defer to the Minister of Infrastructure on the particulars of this project.

What I can say is we have been very clear since the beginning on this matter. The new bridge will be built through a P3 partnership. There will be public transit and there will be tolls.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, there are Transport Canada officials working on the Transport Canada file. Is the minister telling us that no one at Transport Canada knows how many jobs will be created thanks to one of the largest construction sites in Canada?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, Transport Canada is supporting the Minister of Infrastructure on this file and any inquiries with respect to the numbers he is receiving can go through the Minister of Infrastructure to Transport Canada for that information.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the problem is that the government does not even consider how many jobs will be created when it issues a call for tenders. That is not even a government requirement. It is disappointing that we are not getting a response.

I will now come back to the DOT-111 railway cars, which my colleague already spoke about. The minister listened to our recommendations about the need for a time frame. I commend her on that. However, with a time frame of three years, what will happen with the DOT-111 railway cars that are not necessarily in good shape? What will happen with the old DOT-111 cars that keep running? Why not have Transport Canada give exemptions so that companies can continue to use them, instead of continuing to allow old DOT-111 cars on the tracks?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I think I am a little confused at this point. I do not think the hon. member is trying to say that I should not phase out these DOT-111 cars, so I will let him re-ask.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister has put a timeline of three years. During that time we still have old DOT-111 going on our rails. What I am asking is, instead of allowing old DOT-111s to go through communities and urban areas, why not ask Transport Canada to give an exemption to the companies so they can make sure that when old DOT-111s are still being used, they are being used in a safe way?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, the approach that we are taking with respect to responding to the Transportation Safety Board is to deal with a means of containment, meaning the DOT-111 cars. We have done it in two ways. First, he should know that there are a variety of different types of cars within this framework of DOT-111. Some of them, like the 5,000 that we want out of the country in 30 days, are the ones that are the most dangerous. There is a version of DOT-111 cars in various inclinations in between. That is acceptable.

We published that regulatory Gazette process in January of this year. That is standard. What we would like is to have cars at that standard or higher by May 1, 2017. That is what we will be doing over the next three years.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister is not answering the question that I am putting forward.

It is the same thing with the Liberals. They are talking about self-regulation and allowing the companies to say that they are going to use the old DOT-111s. What we are saying is that Transport Canada's role is to keep Canadians safe. Why not give an exemption to the companies instead of just allowing everyone to still use the old DOT-111s?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, in the next three years DOT-111s will continue to be used. Remember, this is only for crude and ethanol transport, which is important to say. Around that, we have other rail safety measures to ensure that, in the entire approach with respect to rail safety, the operating measures are in place as well to enhance the safety, as are the means of containment as we move through the three years.

We also balance out the speed of the train, which is important, and all of the other things that we have done in the past nine months with respect to increasing safety in the operations of trains in the country.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, can the minister tell me how many dangerous goods inspectors there are?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, there are 70.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, I have another number.

There are then 70 inspectors for 40,000 sites in Canada. Did the budget cuts affect this number?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I can tell the member that in the transportation of dangerous goods there are 70 positions in general, and 35 of those are inspectors. They take care of the inspection facilities and the inspections of other places in which there are dangerous goods.

We also have a very robust and good set of acts and regulations under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, which carry heavy fines and criminal liabilities if they are breached. We take that very seriously.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister is saying that there are fines given to companies when the law is breached. How many fines did Transport Canada issue last year?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will get back to the hon. member on that topic.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, can the minister tell us if there were any fines, and if she does not have the number for last year, then for the past five years?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, we will come back on this question as well.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the media report that there were no fines, and we want to know why there were no fines given.

I have one last question if there is time.

With regard to Lac-Mégantic, my colleague asked questions about insurance. The insurance was not enough. The residents had to pay $8 million to clean up the damage caused by the Lac-Mégantic tragedy.

When will the minister address the deficiencies in the liability regime, as requested by Mayor Collette Roy Laroche?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Prime Minister in the Speech from the Throne this year indicated that we would review the rail liability scheme. That is exactly what the department is doing. It has put on the website a discussion paper and consultations have occurred on the matter. It is analyzing the data and will be reporting back to me on the path forward.

We take the matter very seriously because fundamentally we do believe that the polluter should pay.

[The Chair, NDP, Joe Comartin]

That time is up. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport will have about four minutes before time expires.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Chair, first let me add for the public record, as the day is drawing to a close, my best wishes to the minister for a happy birthday.

Let me commend the minister as well, who is doing a fine job in the transport portfolio. She is demonstrating that she is one of the ablest transport ministers Canada has ever had.

I am thankful to our senior officials as well, who are dedicated public servants, and their team of literally thousands of dedicated, non-partisan public servants at Transport Canada who do diligent work day after day to ensure that Canadians remain safe and that public safety is taken seriously.

Obviously there are ministerial staff who work very closely with the minister day by day to ensure that priorities are achieved. They work not according to the clock, but beyond the clock, until tasks are finished. That is critical.

There are members of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities who are here today in support of the minister. They do phenomenal work, particularly in a study right now on all modes of transport involved with safety management systems and the transportation of dangerous goods by rail, water, air, and truck. We are doing important work to support what the minister is doing. We are doing that with members opposite. It is all about important public safety.

I want to ask a couple of questions.

First, in response to the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, I think there is an important clarification the minister wants to get on the record with respect to Aéroports de Montréal.

Second, and also my favourite topic, is the economic importance of the Detroit River international crossing. What progress is happening on that, and why is this government and not the opposition importantly positioned to deliver on this key project for this nation, the number one infrastructure priority of this government?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Mr. Chair, to respond to the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, as I mentioned, Aéroports de Montréal is required to have noise management plans. They have a noise management committee. What I would like to draw to attention is that each time an apparent irregularity is noted, the airport informs Transport Canada, and the ministry then decides on an appropriate action. The list of offences and offenders is available on Transport Canada's website.

I am happy to talk about the new Detroit River international crossing because it is something that has a two-fold purpose.

First, it will help us so much in terms of trade and in terms of jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity. It is one of those projects that comes along once in a generation, a project that we can be absolutely proud of. I am proud of all of the work that the parliamentary secretary has been doing on this, following it from its very beginning. He has been a very big cheerleader and has been involved every step of the way. I am grateful to have his expertise and his experience on this file as we move forward together to ensure that this bridge gets built.

It has to get built, because we need it for growing trade and to deal with traffic at the busiest U.S.-Canada commercial border crossing. Thousands of jobs will be created. Eight million American jobs and two million Canadian jobs depend on trade and investment between our two countries, so having this link will help ensure that we support those kinds of jobs between our two countries.

It is also going to be a much-needed crossing alternative because it is expected as well to create 10,000 to 15,000 construction jobs in Ontario and Michigan.

Our government will continue to move forward on this project. Budget 2014 is providing over $630 million for construction of the new bridge. We are at the point in time where we will be naming the CEO, setting up the crown corporation, assembling the lands, and beginning construction and procurement of this bridge.

It is something I am proud of. I am proud of the involvement of the parliamentary secretary as well. I am grateful for his question.

[The Chair, NDP, Joe Comartin]

It being 11:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 81(4) all votes are deemed reported. The committee will rise and I will now leave the chair.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

The House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 11:30 p.m.)