David Collenette

[Transport, April 26th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we have a Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act in this country which is second to none in the world. We have the highest standards of transporting these goods.

There are 27 million shipments of dangerous goods annually. Very few, less than 1% of those shipments, ever spill or cause problems. We have a tracking system and safety response systems which make sure that all emergencies are attended to.

Much of the information put out by the International Association of Fire Fighters is erroneous and does not do credit to the firefighters in the country who do a terrific job under all circumstances.

[Transport, April 26th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I answered this question last week. There has been no emergency response request plan filed by AECL for the transportation of this particular material. Our department has not received a request.

It is up to Transport Canada under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act to approve the transportation of these substances.

I remind the House that 800,000 shipments annually of radioactive material occur in Canada and they occur, by and large, without incident.

We have a very elaborate response program and tracking plan called CANUTEC in Transport Canada that does the job well in looking for safety issues.

[Transport, April 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, there are some 800,000 shipments each year of radioactive material in Canada. It is not unusual for Transport Canada officials to liaise with local authorities and emergency response organizations to ensure that these shipments are carried out in accordance with the Dangerous Goods Act.

With respect to the planned meeting tomorrow it is obvious that some alarm had been raised. As my colleague the Minister of Natural Resources has said, there has been no request to transport this particular material and there has been no route decided so such a meeting was premature.

[Air Transportation, April 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada regrets the accidents in Baie-Comeau and in the Gaspé.

As members know, Nav Canada is a not for profit corporation directing air navigation operations. It has a process for deciding whether navigational equipment is needed. The transport safety board is investigating the situation, and I will respond after the investigation.

[Air Safety, April 20th, 1999]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that we have started discussions on proposed amendments to the Canadian aviation regulations that will ensure a better level of emergency response at smaller airports across the country.

These regulatory changes are part of a comprehensive review of all emergency response measures at Canada's airports, because the federal government is absolutely committed to flight safety for all Canadians.

[Budget Implementation Act, 1999, March 17th, 1999]

moved that Bill C-71, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in parliament on February 16, 1999 be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Air Safety, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the incidence of unruly air passengers is certainly of great concern. The government has established a working group with industry, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the airline industry, the Air Transport Association and police enforcement agencies to deal with the problem.

We are looking at strategies that will come up with perhaps new regulations, stricter enforcement and better training for ground and flight crews. This government will not tolerate disorder in the skies.

[National Highway System, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I think most members of the House would like to see an improvement in road quality across the country. It is a question of financial priorities not only for this government but for provincial governments.

I remind the House that the provincial premiers were unanimous last August in stating that the priority for the country should be health care. Everybody on this side of the House agrees with that, and I assume most people on the other side do as well.

Money was put into health care. A question of further priorities is the subject of discussion in the next number of months. I am meeting with my colleagues, the provincial transport ministers, in Ottawa in the month of May to look at all the things the member raised including the question of tolls.

[National Highway System, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered this question several times in the House.

It is true that we were studying a national highway system, but the hon. member knows full well that it is a question of funding, a question of fiscal priorities.

[Rail Transportation, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I had occasion to make the trip from La Tuque to Senneterre a few months ago and I met many local inhabitants as well as travellers on the VIA Rail train.

As the hon. member well knows, we approved most of the Standing Committee on Transport's recommendations with respect to VIA Rail, including the recommendation to protect remote lines such as those in his riding.