Transport committee  Correct.

Transport committee  There's currently an obligation on the minister to table, every year in Parliament, a report that talks about the state of transportation. Internally, we've already started preparing that report. We work on that report all the way through to May of next year, when it will be tabled in Parliament.

Transport committee  Let me explain. This bill actually requires two reports. There's this report that we're talking about here, which is tabled by the minister, and it is done by Transport Canada. In addition to that, the Canadian Transportation Agency also files an annual report, and they do the reporting on the air travel complaints commissioner.

Transport committee  In fact, what this does is give shippers one more tool. Currently, they have a series of tools in sections 3 and 4 of the act that are formal regulatory procedures. What this does is offer them also an opportunity to use the mediation process, in addition to those other processes.

Transport committee  It's to their satisfaction.

Transport committee  That's right.

Transport committee  That’s right, at the request of the shippers and railway companies.

Transport committee  We have analyzed this and we think that as a result of this provision there may be a reduction in the quantity of work done by the Agency. At the present time, the Agency receives many requests from shippers and railway companies to perform arbitration. Part IV of the act provides for this process.

Transport committee  In total.

Transport committee  I think there are two issues here. There's the number of members. Currently, we have seven, and we have had seven since the bill was introduced in 1996. You may be surprised, you may not be, but the members, since 1996, have come from all regions of Canada. In fact, the chair, who just left this year, was from Vancouver.

Transport committee  Yes. I think you received a letter from the Western Grain Elevator Association and the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association. That’s the wording they themselves used in their submission.

Transport committee  Yes, they were all there. The representatives of the railway terminals at the Port of Vancouver, the TSI transportation company and the companies that operate railway terminals in the ports are also in agreement, because rather than putting the emphasis on the mode of transportation, we’re putting it on exports, on international trade.

Transport committee  They’re included, yes.

Transport committee  Right. That would include pipeline, for example.

Transport committee  Yes.