Marc Garneau

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, we are doing a great deal in the airline business. I am very proud of the fact, and this was a long haul, of the pilot crew duty day and fatigue regulations that we put in after a great deal of interaction with the airlines.

We also are very proud of ACAP, which is the airports capital assistance program. It has been in existence for many years, including under the previous government, which also supported it. The program is specifically focused on safety at airports and includes lights, runway conditions and equipment to make sure ice is removed and sometimes fences put up to prevent animals from going in. I know my colleague knows quite a bit about airports and will know about ACAP. Some of it was funded in Prince George, which happens to be where he lives.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, I ask my colleague to define to me what he means by “hazard identification regime”.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, the government does care about airline safety. In fact, Canada has one of the best safety records in the world. However, there is always more that we can do, including on runway incursions and other issues, such as runway and safety areas. We are working on all of these to try to increase safety in the airline business even more.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, my heart goes out to that tenth CP worker who lost his life in a rail yard. We are currently investigating what the cause was. When we determine what the cause of that was, if there is action to be taken, we will take that action.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

I responded, Mr. Chair.

Of course we did a big initiative with respect to pilots and pilot fatigue, which came into force last year. I said at the time that I would turn my attention toward rail operators. I am talking about those he is talking about, as well as the marine industry, because fatigue is recognized as a contributing factor to some of the accidents. The TSB has been quite rightly pointing this out to us, and we are acting on it. We have begun acting on it now for close to a year.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, I am glad to tell my colleague that we are looking very seriously at what is called “enhanced train control”. We think this is the new way to use technology to make train operations safer, and we are working with both the class I main railways, CN and CP, to try to develop the technologies that will be used in the future to ensure greater levels of safety.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, those documents are actually available online. I was just going to do him a favour by printing them and giving them to him.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, if I have the opportunity to speak at length, I can begin to tell my colleague what we have done in terms of improving safety in this country. I will start by saying we have new standards with respect to the safety of tanker cars. We have implemented key routes limitations for those transporting dangerous goods. We have implemented the installation of locomotive video and voice recorders, LVVRs, inside.

I am presently looking at the issue of fatigue among engineers and conductors on our trains. We have also started other initiatives with respect to trying to improve rail safety. We have increased the number of inspectors who inspect the 41,000 kilometres of rail lines that operate in this country. I can provide an exhaustive list to my colleague who just said we have been asleep at the switch.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, we are continuously improving rail safety in this country. In the supplementaries, which is what we are here to discuss, we mentioned $10.1 million for the railway safety improvement program, RSIP, which is specifically focused on crossings and improving safety at those crossings.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Chair, as I have been fond of saying, rail safety is my number one priority and now that I am in a new mandate, I am glad to say again that rail safety will continue to be my number one priority.

We are currently looking at the derailment that occurred in Lanigan, Saskatchewan. It is too early at this point to say what has happened. If my hon. colleague wants a list of the things that we have done since the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail tragedy, I would be happy to provide it to him.