Lisa Raitt

[Rail Transportation, March 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, and this may be difficult to grasp from their perspective, it really is a North American issue. We have to work in concert with the majority of the DOT-111 cars, which are in the United States. That is why our officials continue to talk to one another.

However, we are seized with this issue. We are absolutely assuring the Canadian public that we are doing everything we can in the timeframe that we have to get to the right decisions with respect to these DOT-111s.

In the meantime, industry is taking their own decisions. I applaud them and commend them for it as well.

[Rail Transportation, March 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in truth, our government has done more than any other government in ensuring the safety of Canadians when it comes to rail transportation.

What I can say is this. I was very pleased to read the announcements of both CP and CN today, and of course of Irving Oil, when they indicated that they have taken the principled position of not utilizing older models of DOT-111 cars. Our Prime Minister has been very clear on this matter. He has said that we will be phasing out these older models, the DOT-111 cars.

I was in Washington yesterday meeting with my counterparts on the matter, and we are working together for a North American solution.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Halifax Port Authority is a self-governing entity that operates at arm’s length from the crown and is fully responsible for administering, managing, and operating, on a stand-alone basis, the Port of Halifax, for which it is accountable. Transport Canada does not receive third party financial information from the Halifax Port Authority.

Therefore, all questions pertaining to the administration, management, and operations of the Port of Halifax should be addressed directly to the Halifax Port Authority.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), Canada Post has a very good track record of keeping the Government of Canada informed of its financial situation. For some time, the government has been aware of the impact of declining mail volumes on the corporation’s ability to remain financially self-sustaining as mandated. Canada Post has also kept the public apprised of its situation through public release of its annual reports, quarterly reports, and corporate plan summaries. In 2012, Canada Post delivered one billion fewer letters than it did in 2006.

As a crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the government, Canada Post is responsible for the management of its own operations, including the planning of how it will operate in the future. The government supports Canada Post’s efforts to fulfill its mandate of operating on a self-sustaining financial basis in order to protect taxpayers while modernizing its business and aligning postal services with the choices that Canadians are making.

With regard to (b), Canada Post is an arm’s-length crown corporation that is responsible for the management of its present and future operations. The Minister of Transport tables Canada Post’s annual corporate plan summary to Parliament, and the Department of Transport is aware of Canada Post’s declining financial situation. Transport Canada also supports the corporation’s efforts to return to financial self-sufficiency and modernize its business to align postal services with the choices of Canadians.

With regard to (c) and (d), as a crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the government, Canada Post is responsible for its own corporate planning. By regulation, Canada Post is required to submit its annual corporate plan to the minister. As such, Transport Canada does not instruct Canada Post.

Transport Canada reviewed the corporate plan to ensure its compliance with applicable legislation and regulations as well as to assess its alignment with government priorities. As per the Access to Information Act, details of the analysis, recommendations, and any related information are considered cabinet confidence and cannot be disclosed.

With regard to (e), Canada Post is a crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the Government of Canada. As such, the corporation is responsible for the management of its present and future operations. Finance Canada has been aware of Canada Post’s declining financial situation through the tabling of the corporation’s annual reports in Parliament, as well as through quarterly reports and corporate plan summaries.

Under section 127 of the Financial Administration Act, when a crown corporation intends to borrow, the Minister of Finance may require that his recommendation, in addition to that of the appropriate minister, be obtained before a corporate plan is submitted to the Governor in Council for approval. The Minister of Finance has exercised this authority with respect to Canada Post.

[Canada Post, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before in the House, Canada Post is facing a real crisis in terms of the lack of mail that is being put through: one billion pieces. In the past, it has taken the decision not to deliver directly to houses. In fact, two-thirds of Canadian households are like that. Canada Post is going to be moving in its plan to removing that from the other one-third of Canadian households, while of course working with concerns that people have regarding seniors and the disabled.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that the hon. member did not try to call me a dog in the House of Commons by assuming that I have a muzzle or anything like that.

I will get past that and answer that we have real concerns with respect to what is happening in the movement of grain in our logistics chain. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has been working with his people and I have been working my stakeholders, but we are at a point where we understand that action must be taken, and that is what we will do.

[Rail Transportation, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the crop this year has been quite large: 76 million tonnes, which is 33% more than we have experienced before in this country. This is great for farmers, but right now farmers have a serious issue: they need to get their product to market. That is why what members will see from this government and from this side of the House is not empty rhetoric, it is not temper tantrums; it is action.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada does not collect the requested information in both official languages, but rather by the language of the author. Given the large number of documents, it is not feasible for Transport Canada to translate the requested documents in the time period required.

[Canada Post, March 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House before, it is important to note that two-thirds of the mail delivered in Canada currently does not go to people's doors at their house. What Canada Post has indicated it must do in order to be self-sufficient into the future is to ensure that this last one-third moves to the same system that is in place for the other two-thirds.

With respect to the disabled and to seniors, Canada Post has in place methods and ways to deal with these issues, and it has been doing so for more than 25 years.

[Transportation, March 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for that question. We are indeed concerned with what is happening at Port Metro Vancouver right now. This government has invested heavily in the Asia-Pacific gateway, with the expectation that both port officials and the industry, including truckers, will work together to ensure that our goods flow in a very good way.

That being said, I have spoken to my counterpart in British Columbia, Minister Stone, over the weekend regarding this. We have been in contact with Port Metro Vancouver's CEO. We expect they will continue to work together, but if they cannot, then we and the province are willing to help in terms of bringing this to a conclusion.