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Minutes of Proceedings

Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN)
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting No. 23
Tuesday, September 27, 2016, 8:49 a.m. to 10:41 a.m.
Presiding
Hon. Judy A. Sgro, Chair (Liberal)

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• Phil McColeman for Luc Berthold (Conservative)
• Kate Young (Liberal)
Library of Parliament
• Allison Padova, Analyst
• Zackery Shaver, Analyst
Certain Provisions of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act
Railway Association of Canada
• Michael Bourque, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Gérald Gauthier, Vice-President
Saskatchewan Shortline Railway Association
• Perry Pellerin, Chairman
Canadian National Railway Company
• Sean Finn, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer
• Janet Drysdale, Vice-President, Corporate Development
Canadian Pacific Railway
• James Clements, Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Transportation Services
• Robert Taylor, Assistant Vice-President, North America Advocacy
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), and the motion adopted by the Committee on Monday, May 30, 2016, the Committee resumed its study of certain provisions of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act.

Michael Bourque and Perry Pellerin made statements and, with Gérald Gauthier, answered questions.

At 9:29 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 9:30 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Janet Drysdale, Sean Finn and James Clements made statements and, with Robert Taylor, answered questions.

At 10:14 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:16 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

Committee Business
The Committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to Committee business.

It was agreed, — That the First Report from the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, which read as follows, be concurred in:

Pursuant to its mandate, your Subcommittee has considered the future business of the Committee and recommends the following.

That the Chair be empowered to, in consultation with Committee staff and Members of the Committee (either directly or via their staff), coordinate and authorize resources and schedules to accomplish the following during this Session of the House:

Not more than six meetings in total to conduct a study and report on the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act with a specific focus on efforts to…

• Make recommendations to resolve the interswitching issue;

• Strengthen and promote equitable relationships between producers and shippers;

• Safeguard systemic integrity for the long-term; and

• Help ensure the entire grain handling and transportation system is functioning efficiently (at the top of its capacity) and in a manner that guarantees timely, responsive and fair interactions between stakeholders.

Not more than eight meetings in total to conduct a study and report on the changes to the Navigation Protection Act that came into force in 2014 with specific focus on…

• The environmental and sector impacts of the changes;

• The impact of the changes on the long-term viability of commercial and recreational utilization of Canada’s waterways;

• The cost, practicality and effectiveness of the changes when gauged against the environmental, business and recreational function of Canada’s waterways; and

• The efficiency of the changes when viewed holistically, from a user perspective, with other Acts that collectively impact upon users.

Launch a comprehensive study on the establishment of a Canadian Transportation and Logistics Strategy (using a regional gateway approach) with specific focus on…

• A review of current and future transportation and infrastructure priorities and strategies as they relate to planning, funding, construction, renewal and succession planning of transportation infrastructure;

• A review of government priorities as they relate to funding, designing and regulating transportation and/or transportation infrastructure;

• The incorporation,when appropriate, of the Canada Transportation Act (Emerson) Report findings; and

• An exploration, when practical, of the synchronization of federal plans and priorities with provincial, territorial and local government initiatives relating to transportation and infrastructure policies over the long-term.

Nothing herein should interfere with Committee exploration of matters that may be referred from the House.

The Chair is also directed to work collaboratively with Committee staff and Members of the Committee (either directly of via their staff) to ensure that Committee Members have the opportunity to submit witness suggestions and to contribute to the planning of the aforementioned activities.

At 10:41 a.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Andrew Bartholomew Chaplin
Clerk of the Committee