Mr. Chair, Marine Atlantic is independent. It assures the service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 54% of the vote.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, Marine Atlantic is independent. It assures the service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I can speak for myself, but I will have to get back to my colleague on that one.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, with respect to the caregiver program, there is a high demand for caregivers in this country, and one of the things we want to do is process the applications for caregivers as quickly as possible. We have some challenges bringing caregivers into this country because in some cases it means a separation from their families who are living abroad. One thing we have looked into is finding a way to bring their families with them and to give them work and student permits so that they can be unified with the caregiver who has come to Canada to work.
We think this is a good approach to attracting more caregivers and potentially, in the case of caregivers who may eventually become permanent residents, bring new Canadians into the country and provide strong caregiver capability across the country.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, it would be my pleasure to do so because it is an issue that is important to a very large number of Canadians. I will remind all of us here that after the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of transport met last January, we decided to create a task force to look specifically at ways we could improve safety in school buses. This included looking at a whole number of factors, some of which are outside the bus and some of which are inside the bus, such as safety belts.
These are things that we have been working on. We have now produced a report with recommendations that will be discussed early next year at the next gathering of the ministers from the provinces and territories. We want to look at ways that we can improve this.
Having said that, going to school in a school bus is the safest way for a child to get to school. Statistically, it is far superior to any other method, but if there are ways for us to improve the safety of children in school buses, then we, as ministers of transport, must look at those, and that is what we are doing.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, yes, there is no question that the enhanced passenger protection program is there in this particular case to ensure that when passengers go through an airport and get on an airplane they are, from a security point of view, going to be well protected. That is something that Canadians expect and it is something that we need to provide.
The program currently works with air carriers, of course, to screen passengers to and from and within Canada. This is in respect to the Secure Air Travel Act list and it is also managed by Public Safety Canada. The two of us work together. The member has heard of the no-fly list. These are measures we are improving at the moment with funding to ensure there will be fewer cases of rejected passengers in the future. All of this is aimed at ensuring that when people go to the airport, go through security and get on board an airplane, it is a secure airplane with no threats to that airplane and to that flight.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate the member on being elected in the election.
Road safety is a very complex matter with federal, provincial and other levels of responsibility that are assigned to different groups. From a federal point of view, we are responsible for the safety of vehicles, of course, but provinces and territories have responsibilities with respect to the road safety code. However, we all work together and we all work with the CCMTA as well to ensure that overall we have a strong national safety code with respect to the use of our roads for transportation.
That is why we have a transfer program in place. It allots funding to provinces and territories because of the work that we all do in an integrated fashion to ensure a strong regulatory framework for road transportation in this country. In this particular case in the supplementary estimates, we are asking for funding because we had not been able to complete an agreement on funding for two provinces, Quebec and Alberta, which are now complete and we would like to provide that funding to them.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I am pleased to rise in committee of the whole to discuss the supplementary estimates (A). I will speak to the spending connected to my files.
Canadians need a transportation system that allows them to safely and efficiently reach their destinations and receive goods for their daily lives. Businesses and customers expect a transportation system they can trust to deliver resources and products to market and for the jobs on which they depend.
The transport file includes other significant challenges, such as air and ocean pollution, public safety and security, and economic opportunities for all Canadians. In all, transport activities account for around 10% of Canada's GDP. The federal transport file includes Transport Canada and various Crown corporations, agencies and administrative tribunals, all of which do important work to serve Canadians. These important federal organizations strive to keep making Canada's transportation network safer, greener, more secure and more efficient.
Transport Canada, which includes the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, or CATSA, and Marine Atlantic, both of which are Crown corporations, is seeking additional financing resources through the 2019-20 supplementary estimates (A). Transport Canada is seeking an increase of $227.1 million in the supplementary estimates. This includes $223.9 million in voted appropriations for 12 different items.
At this time, I will focus my remarks on the department's three largest items. These are $165.5 million for the incentives for zero-emission vehicles program; $31.5 million to address indigenous people's marine and environmental priorities regarding the Trans Mountain expansion project; and, finally, $10.5 million for the rail safety improvement program.
The Government of Canada's incentives for zero-emission vehicles program helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to an environmentally responsible transportation network by promoting the adoption of this type of vehicle. Between May 1, when the program was launched, and November 24, 30,000 Canadian individuals and businesses received the point-of-sale incentive. Canada made a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The incentives for zero-emission vehicles program will help us meet that target.
To meet the demand for incentives, Transport Canada has had to advance funding from future years. Canadians understand that protecting the environment and growing the economy go hand in hand. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has the potential to create thousands of good middle-class jobs and generate billions of dollars to help fund clean energy solutions.
To address marine safety and environmental concerns raised about the Trans Mountain expansion project by indigenous groups, Transport Canada is leading on three measures: providing indigenous coastal communities with access to web-based maritime information; funding for marine safety equipment and training; and, finally, supporting a demonstration to advance low-noise and low-emission crude oil tankers servicing the Trans Mountain expansion. This includes up to $30 million to support the crude oil tanker technology demonstration program, which will support the construction of next-generation quiet vessel tankers powered by liquefied natural gas.
Reducing underwater noise and air emissions from those tankers will help mitigate the impacts of marine shipping on the environment, including vulnerable marine mammals such as the southern resident killer whale. Another $1.5 million will support the enhanced maritime situational awareness initiative, allowing three more indigenous communities to become pilot host communities. These funds will allow the department to continue to develop meaningful relationships with indigenous communities through the project.
I am proud to point out that Canada has one of the safest rail networks in the world, due in part to initiatives like the rail safety improvement program, which provides funding to improve rail safety security and reduce injuries and fatalities related to rail transportation. The program funds various activities, including roadway and intersection improvements, such as adding sidewalks, diversion roads, flashing lights, bells, gates and even full pedestrian overpasses, the adoption of innovative safety technologies for detection, data recording and communication, and research or studies related to enhancing the safety of rail lines. In the supplementary estimates, Transport Canada is seeking to defer nearly $10.5 million to reimburse funding recipients for eligible expenses that they incurred but have not yet submitted for reimbursement.
Other important measures include $1.5 million to help Transport Canada continue its work to protect and recover southern resident killer whales. This funding for the whales initiative would reduce the economic impacts on the shipping industry of an expanded voluntary vessel slowdown off the coast of British Columbia. Through a contribution agreement, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority would administer funds to eligible vessel operators to offset the additional pilotage costs from participating in the slowdown.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is also seeking approval to defer $26.1 million. The deferred funds would be used for a bomb detection system and other projects to streamline and increase screening activities. In budget 2019 and Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1, the Government of Canada committed to ensure the transition of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority from an agent Crown corporation to an independent, not-for-profit screening authority that would be responsible for providing air safety screening services.
Marine Atlantic provides a constitutionally mandated ferry service to and from Newfoundland. This is a vital service for travellers as well as for the companies that do business in that region. It brings more than one-quarter of all visitors to Newfoundland as well as two-thirds of all freight, including 90% of perishables and time-sensitive goods.
Through these supplementary estimates, Marine Atlantic is seeking $3 million in 2019-20 for fleet renewal to procure a new ferry. I am proud to be resuming my role as Minister of Transport in no small part because I am proud of the ongoing achievements of Transport Canada and other federal organizations in this important portfolio.
Our roads, our railways, our ports, our ferry services and our airports must be integrated and sustainable. They must enable Canadians and businesses to access world markets.
Our transportation system is vital for our economy and for our quality of life. I am looking forward to continuing the work we did during my first four years in this role.
There is no doubt that the financial resources requested under these supplementary estimates will enable us to continue this work.
I am ready to take questions.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, the budgets have indeed increased, and we are able to more quickly process claims filed by immigrants and asylum seekers.
Our goal is to be able to process 50,000 cases a year at the Immigration and Refugee Board. That requires a lot of resources. We are putting them in place to ensure that we can act more quickly, since the number of asylum seekers and immigrants keeps increasing in Canada.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question, and I congratulate him on getting re-elected.
As everyone knows, the provinces receive infrastructure allocations in accordance with population-based formulas. The provinces decide how they want to spend those allocations, be it on public transit, green infrastructure or social infrastructure. The federal government expects the provinces to tell us how they want to spend the money. They are the ones that speak with the municipalities and decide what the priorities will be. They then tell us where they want to spend the money. We cannot give them any money until we know why the money is needed and what infrastructure projects it will be used for.
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20 December 9th, 2019
Mr. Chair, of course, transportation is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gases and out of that, 50% comes from motor vehicles, which is why we put in place an incentive for people to buy ZEVs. The take-up on this has been exceedingly good in the past five months, and we want to continue to make sure that those who decide to invest in electric vehicles are going to be able to get their rebate from the federal government.