Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I rise today on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party to speak to second reading of Bill C-58, an act to amend the Railway Safety Act and to make a consequential amendment to another act.
The bill is basically the same as the previous Bill C-43 which was introduced during the last parliament. Unfortunately it died on the order paper at the call of the last election. I would like to point out our disappointment that the bill was not introduced earlier. I hope this does not reveal that safety is not the minister's number one concern.
The bill proposes amendments to the Railway Safety Act which came into effect in January 1988. A statutory review took place after five years and the result was the previous Bill C-43. We are pleased with the exhaustive consultation which took place with the stakeholders involved during the mandatory review and with their valuable input. It should be noted that this is an ongoing process. As the minister has repeatedly stated, safety is his number one concern and we will continue to hold him to that.
The Railway Safety Act which passed in 1988 was a significant change in the way we regulate railways and how railways interact with government. This has proven to be a very good approach, and with the legislation before us today I hope it will become much better.
The railway system makes up an important part of our national fabric and is a great economic engine for the country. This great national work does not come without some unfortunate costs. What I am speaking about is the many lives which have been lost at railway crossings every year. The railway companies work very hard to ensure that we have the most up to date technologies and warning signals available. I would like to thank them for their effort, but I think the federal government must play a much larger role in the safety issue.
At a time when the government is looking at revitalizing our passenger service we should ensure that the railway network is as safe as possible. Where road and rail meet many safety concerns have to be addressed. There are currently too many level crossing accidents in Canada. I am aware that there are some innovative ways to prevent these accidents from occurring. The old mentality of creating more bells and guards may not be the only way to attack the issue.
My hon. colleague from Cumberland—Colchester, who is the official transportation critic for the Progressive Conservative Party, will examine the bill in further detail in committee and if further changes are needed I am sure they will be welcome. As the hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester has proven in the House, he is an able defender of the critic portfolio of transportation.
Obviously I speak of his involvement with respect to toll highways in the Atlantic provinces. He has brought that issue to the House and has dealt with it very effectively.
I would like to deal with rail safety. There are a number of very good points that are going to come forward in committee with respect to this piece of legislation. There are a couple of things I must put forward with respect to rail transportation particularly in western Canada.
As I said, rail transportation is a vital economic link particularly in western Canada. In my community of Brandon, Manitoba we are blessed with having two main lines, the CP and the CN. One runs through the city and one runs north of the city. We are pleased to have both main railway lines.
I talked about the economic viability of western Canada with respect to the railroads. I speak obviously of the transportation necessity of moving commodities and products throughout western Canada. The number one commodity without question is grain. We export the major portion of grain that is being produced right now. We get it to ports by rail transportation.
Potash is important to the province of Saskatchewan. It is a commodity that in most instances is transported to international markets. There are a number of industrial now being produced in western Canada that must find their way to globalized markets. Again, rail transportation is that vital link. Also, coal is very important to B.C., requiring rail transportation.
The reason I mention those commodities is that there is substantial traffic on the main lines in western Canada. Unlike the previous speaker, the hon. member from Cape Breton who not longer has the opportunity of listening to train whistles, in my area we hear the whistling of trains on a fairly regular basis. The reason I mention that is there is a section in this bill that speaks to train whistles.
I would like to take minute to explain the situation that I have found myself in with respect to train whistles going through some communities with controlled crossings. Under the current regulations the main line railroad continues to blow whistles at crossings. The municipality has on many occasions tried to curtail some of that whistling in residential areas. It has fallen on deaf ears.
I will read the section in the legislation that says the minister will now have the opportunity of looking at whistling in municipalities. Also, municipalities will now have some input. Section 23(1) says that the government of the municipality by resolution declares that it agrees that such whistles should not be used in that area, and has before passing the resolution consulted the railway company that operates the relevant rail lines, notified each relevant association or organization, and given public notice of its intention to pass the resolution.
What that now does is give the opportunity for some municipalities to improve their quality of life when main lines run through their communities.
In this instance the municipality did pass a resolution. It suggested it would pay any additional insurance costs the railway might incur. It was a controlled railway crossing with not only whistles but arms that came down to protect the travelling public. This legislation would now allow the minister to be involved and to allow those types of changes to be made. That is very positive.
There are a couple of other issues that have to deal with rail transportation that are not dealt with in the safety bill. The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester from the Progressive Conservative Party will bring them forward. It has been mentioned by previous speakers that railroads are doing a reasonable job with respect to safety. In some cases they have also abdicated their responsibility in other areas. I specifically speak of line abandonment and the ability for short line operators to work in rural communities, particularly in western Canada.
This legislation, however, is of safety. I compliment the railroads for attempting to put into place safety measures that are as good as possible. This legislation will help them do that with the assistance of the minister's office.
The minister has said that safety is his number one priority. I accept that. In committee there will be some changes suggested by members of the opposition. Members of the opposition have a lot of experience with respect to railroads and rail safety.
I hope the committee and the minister will listen to those proposals put forward in the form of amendments so that this legislation can be even better than what is being proposed right now.
