Transport committee  Let me repeat, the long-haul interswitching is meant to give captive shippers the access to a second carrier that they do not have today. Shippers already located within the 30-kilometre interswitch distance have access to a second carrier and in some cases more than a second car

Transport committee  Given that we are talking about two separate provisions, one proposed and one already in the act.... The act already contains a 30-kilometre interswitching zone, which any shipper can use. They can take the traffic within that 30 kilometres and have it switched to another railway

Transport committee  That's correct.

Transport committee  We believe that the provision on long-haul interswitching is really aimed at captive shippers who are further away, who don't have close proximity to an interchange. Thus 165, 175, or 200 kilometres wouldn't do anything for them, and that's why the bill has the figure of 1,200 or

Transport committee  It is a good question. The reason we did not renew that provision in the act really is because it applies to four provinces only, and the rest of Canada does not benefit from it. The new proposal that we are presenting in the bill, long-haul interswitching, covers the entire coun

Transport committee  I would like to ask my legal colleague to answer your question.

Transport committee  As both the minister and I said at one of the last appearances, the extended interswitching provision was really a temporary measure under the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. It was introduced to address the very unusual situation that happened in 2013 and 2014, with the largest

Transport committee  We believe that the language already in the bill achieves the objectives of the amendment. It specifies that the shipper is entitled to receive the highest level of service possible and that really, we don't need to add additional language that specifies that. It also includes th

Transport committee  The bill states that the specifics of the compensation measures or any other measures would be developed in regulation. The reason we believe this is most appropriate is that it allows for proper consultation on the various elements that are listed in the legislation. By includin

Transport committee  In fact, the intent behind Bill C-49 is to be as transparent as possible, but there are concerns about some of the confidential information that may be presented as part of the submissions. Throughout the act there are provisions to protect the confidential information. While the

Transport committee  May I respond?

Transport committee  Yes, I think we could by adding language in the proposed amendments with respect to.... There are a couple of things. In the first amendment you would only want to make information available if the joint venture goes ahead. That's first and foremost. If it's withdrawn, then that

Transport committee  The intent in the bill is for the Minister of Transport to assess whether there is a public interest in proceeding with a joint venture. As part of that assessment, there would be an assessment by the commissioner of competition to assess any impacts on competition, and the commi

Transport committee  The answer is actually quite simple. The legislation only refers to dimensional loads. It doesn't specify what kind of car they would be carried on. Dimensional loads could apply in others. It's really to show where the challenge is.

Transport committee  Thank you. It's been a pleasure.