Jeff Watson

[Rail Transportation, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government's top priority remains the health and safety of Canadians. That is why we have increased funding for rail safety.

In budget 2009, our government affirmed our commitment to a safe, reliable transportation system by earmarking $72 million, over five years, for rail safety measures. This included dedicated increased funding to ensure a permanent rail inspectorate of over 100 positions nationally.

In fact, Transport Canada spent 65% more on rail safety in 2012-13 than it did in 2006-07, going up from $20.7 million to $34.2 million.

Strong federal railway safety regulations are currently in place to ensure the safety and protection of the public, but we agree that more can be done. That is precisely why our government has already taken many steps to increase rail safety in Canada and will continue to do more.

Recent amendments to the Railway Safety Act came into force on May 1, 2013, and the minister instructed officials in the department to accelerate the development and implementation of regulations stemming from these amendments.

The introduction of these regulations will strengthen the regulatory framework by requiring all companies to obtain a safety-based railway operating certificate, introducing the rapid administration of tougher monetary penalties, reflecting the central importance of safety management systems, and clarifying the authority and responsibilities of the Minister of Transport. If regulations are not followed, companies will face the full force of the law.

Following the tragic events in Lac-Mégantic, our government has taken further concrete steps to enhance the safety of rail and the movement of dangerous goods by issuing an emergency directive to all federally regulated railway companies, which impose measures pertaining to the securement of unattended locomotives and the number of crew required for operating a locomotive carrying dangerous goods.

These rules have now been made permanent and have the force of regulation.

The Speech from the Throne also noted two significant regulatory actions we would pursue: first, that shippers and railway companies would be required to carry additional insurance, so they are held accountable; and second, that we would take targeted action to make the transportation of goods safer.

We are taking a similar approach to that of the world-class tanker safety initiative that we developed for marine transportation, focusing on prevention, response, and liability.

Following on this second point, the minister issued a protective direction, on October 17, 2013, requiring all parties who import or transport crude oil to conduct classification testing. They must make those test results available to Transport Canada upon request, update their safety data sheets, and immediately provide them to Transport Canada's Canadian Transport Emergency Centre.

Finally, until such testing is completed, they must also ship all crude oil as class 3, flammable liquid, packing group I when shipping by rail.

The minister asked a special working group inside Transport Canada to develop an emergency response assistance plan for these flammable liquids. This group has come back with recommendations that the minister and Transport Canada are reviewing on an expedited basis.

It is vitally important to engage all interested parties, from community representatives to technical experts to industry officials, in order to identify practical ways to further improve rail safety and the safe transportation of dangerous goods.

Our government has continually demonstrated our commitment to the safety of Canadians by, in addition to some of the measures I outlined, implementing every one of the Transportation Safety Board's recommendations arising so far from the investigation at Lac-Mégantic.

Our government's commitment to safe transportation in this country is clear, not just in our words but in our actions.

[Air Transportation, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that the Ontario government is responsible for approving land use plans for wind turbines. The federal government does not approve wind turbines. The role of the federal government and Nav Canada is to ensure that wind turbines do not cause concerns with regard to aviation safety.

Because this issue is of such concern to the member, the minister will have her officials look into this matter.

[Rail Transportation, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that the DOT-111 tanker cars built under the older standard will be phased out. Given the integration of the Canadian and U.S. rail networks, with cars crossing the border every day, she should know that the minister has been working with her American counterpart on additional standards to strengthen the safety of tanker cars within Canada.

There has also been an advisory council that has been tasked to report back. It has reported back on this, and the report is being studied on an expedited and urgent basis.

[Canada Post, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in 2012 Canada Post delivered one billion fewer letters than it did in 2006, yet it is that member's colleague, the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, who said, “We definitely do not have a crisis at Canada Post”. I think only the NDP would believe that posting up to a billion dollar deficit in very short order and declining mail volumes and revenues that are irreversible is not a crisis. Canada Post has taken action it believes is necessary, and I point the member to its implementation plan.

[Canada Post, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that Canada Post is encountering dramatic deficits, and those are projected to be up to a billion dollars in just a few years. It has a five-point plan it has taken as an independent crown corporation that is arm's-length from the government on its operational decisions. It has released publicly its implementation plan, and I refer the member to read that plan.

[Transportation, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have to correct the member. The government is doing no such thing. Marine Atlantic is a crown corporation. It is arm's length from the government. It has its own governance structure that makes these decisions on a day-to-day basis.

If the member has a concern about that, he should raise it with Marine Atlantic.

[Canada Post, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would simply point out that Canada Post Corporation is an independent crown corporation. It operates at arm's length from the government and is responsible for its day-to-day operational decisions, including these. If she has a service complaint, she may want to direct it to Canada Post.

[Rail Transportation, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, far from it. This government continues to take a whole list of important actions. We continue, as I said, to increase the number of inspections of rail to record levels. There were 30,000 inspection in 2012. There was a $100 million investment in our rail safety system. There are improvements to add whistleblower protection for employees who blow the whistle on safety concerns in the workplace. There is the expansion of administrative monetary penalties for a range of additional infractions.

Make no mistake. There is an investigation under way with respect to Lac-Mégantic, one by Transport Canada. If any rules are found to have been broken, we can guarantee that they will face the full extent of the law.

[Rail Transportation, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that the health and safety of Canadians is this government's top priority. We have taken a number of very significant actions to enhance rail safety. In 2012, we completed more than 30,000 inspections. We continue to hire more inspectors. We have made an investment of about $100 million in improving rail safety through new information sharing agreements with the provinces, proper classification regulations, and the list goes on.

The member will also know that there are permanent rules in place to ensure that with respect to the transportation of dangerous goods, there are two operators at all times.

[Rail Transportation, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as the member will know, with a lawsuit pending and the investigation currently ongoing, it is inappropriate to comment any further on that.

However, we have a number of compliance mechanisms at Transport Canada that have been used. Thanks to this government's Railway Safety Act improvements just a few years ago, we will have the power to rapidly issue more monetary penalties. These provisions are under way.

Let me be clear. When it comes to improving rail safety, and we are looking to do more, it is the NDP that is opposing our ability to get the standing committee on transport out on the road to the Bakken oil fields so that we can make greater improvements to our safety system. She needs to stop playing politics.