Transport committee  Just for clarity on the numbers and the actions that have been taken, in the case of aviation safety, it's important to note there's been a movement of an element outstanding from one element of the program activity architecture to another element, which is the program that we ha

Transport committee  I'm telling you the cuts were directed at the overhead in the department. There were no cuts to safety activities in the department.

Transport committee  To go back to your question on the audits, clearly the report of the Auditor General indicated that the department needs to do a better job at audits.

Transport committee  We have about 100 inspectors directly on rail, but that doesn't include all the oversight positions. Specifically on that, what we are doing is putting in place a clear action plan that will increase not only the number of inspectors but, as we mentioned, we need to have people w

Transport committee  The infrastructure work that will be funded by Infrastructure Canada and the work related to the new bridge over the St. Lawrence will comply with the procurement rules in place. Those rules allow Canadian businesses to bid, obviously, while fully meeting our international trade

Transport committee  Absolutely.

Transport committee  There are no reductions in the budgets allocated to inspections of rail safety. As the minister mentioned, we have 100 rail inspectors—

Transport committee  In terms of—

Transport committee  There have been no cuts to the budgets affecting inspection and rail safety.

Transport committee  I'm not sure what number you're referring to. I know for a fact that there have been no cuts to the budget allocated to rail safety inspectors. I also know—

Transport committee  —that the actual departmental spending in relation to its appropriation varies from year to year. But there have been no cuts to the budgets that have been affecting—

Transport committee  The issue that continually comes up with the appropriations for infrastructure is exactly as the minister has described. We have to have enough appropriations in a given year. Should the claims come from the recipients...very often, because of either delays in work or claims that

Transport committee  I want to repeat the same comment I made previously, which is exactly the latter option you mentioned: it is simply moving money around to meet the cashflow requirements of the partners—

Transport committee  No.

Transport committee  There's always the tendency, when you look at specific elements, to ask whether there are fundamental funding changes or whether it's activities being moved under different headings. In this case, it's more of the latter; it's not a net increase in funding.