TRAN Committee Report

Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure & Communities Study on Emerging Technologies: NDP Minority Report Recommendations

Emerging technologies in transportation provides a number of opportunities that the Federal Government should be capitalizing on — in job creation (especially well-paying green jobs), reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and better protecting the safety of Canadians. These opportunities are critical in terms of both economic growth and the well-being of Canadians. It is the NDP’s view that the Federal Government, particularly Transport Canada, must become pro-active in realizing these opportunities.

Technological change, driven in part by rising fuel costs and pressure to reduce GHG emissions, leads to new jobs — green jobs — not only to meet Canada’s domestic market but also in creating exports to other countries facing the same transportation challenges that Canada faces. The Committee’s study shows that emerging technologies in the transportation sector provide significant opportunities for job creation for Canadians if the Federal Government moves to support these technologies through investment and appropriate regulation.

Canada’s NDP strongly believes that one of the means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions — the major contributor to climate change in our world — is through promoting green technologies that reduce fossil fuel consumption and provides for alternative (and safer) fuels. This is important, as Canada’s transportation sector contributes 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. As well, in an increasingly complex world Canada’s NDP strongly supports the adoption of new technologies to better safeguard Canadians from transportation mishaps.

As a result of the presentations made to the Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure & Communities during its study on emerging technologies, it became clear that the Federal Government, in particular Transport Canada, needed to provide leadership to better protect Canadians. Accordingly, Canada’s New Democrats make the following 16 recommendations:

General

1.    The Federal Government should provide leadership regarding the transition to green technology, and should create a Green Innovation Fund for emerging transportation technologies (similar to the Green Municipal Fund).

2.    The Federal Government should develop a streamlined, long term strategy for research and development with clear and transparent funding criteria to help small- and medium-sized companies innovate in green transportation technologies.

Air

1.    Transport Canada should consult with stakeholders and assess where GPS landing approaches are not in place across Canada and ensure the timely installation of this life-saving technology.

2.    Transport Canada should support research and development of advanced noise mitigation technology and put into place incentives for the installation of noise-mitigation equipment at airports across Canada.

3.    Transport Canada should implement stricter quality standards for on-board GPS databases in order to address recurring problems with data lags and errors in identifying key landing features such as flight height, direction, etc.

On-Road Vehicles

1.    Transport Canada should make electronic stability control and electronic logging devices mandatory for commercial trucks.

2.    Transport Canada should make the installation of truck sideguards mandatory on heavy trucks within a year.

3.    The Federal Government should streamline the SR&ED tax credit application process in order to facilitate participation by small- and medium-sized manufacturers, and extend this tax credit on a multi-year basis.

4.    Transport Canada should facilitate harmonization of Canadian safety standards with EU regulations to facilitate the importation of European vehicle technology and products.

5.    In order to ensure that vehicle batteries and charging systems are eventually available at a price and with an energy density that is affordable and practical for the vast majority of consumers, from transit agencies to individuals, the Government of Canada should encourage Canadian companies working on vehicle battery systems, storage elements and charging.

Rail

1.    The Federal Government should encourage the conversion of urban transit systems from fossil fuel-based systems to electrified systems (as is planned for Montreal).

2.    The Federal Government should honour its commitment to share the costs of infrastructure investments with other levels of government and maintain the existing formula of providing 1/3 of the funding required for electrifying urban commuter rail lines.

3.    Transport Canada should strengthen the rules regarding the use of railroads for passenger service in Canada by :

a) requiring railroads to give priority status to passenger systems where systems are shared with freight;

b) requiring railroads to allow the electrification of rail systems for electric passenger rail; and

c) developing a made-in-Canada regulatory approach (rather than mirroring US regulatory regimes) in order to allow European-style railroads and Positive Train Control (PTC) systems which meet Canadian standards to operate in Canadian urban rail systems.

4.    Transport Canada should create regulations to permit the operation of innovative electric transit systems, including battery, flywheel, contactless charging, etc.

5.    Transport Canada should encourage innovation in electric vehicle systems through improved regulations and direct subsidy for demonstration projects.

6.    Transport Canada should make voice recorders in locomotive cabs mandatory to improve rail safety by April 2013 (acting on a Transportation Safety Board (TSB) recommendation made 9 years ago).

7.    Transport Canada should review the implementation hurdles for Positive Train Control (PTC) in Canada, its benefits and costs, and formulate a five-year strategy for phasing in this life-saving technology.