OTTAWA — The Canadian government would gain new abilities to require railroads to create security management systems, and to grant or cancel transportation security clearances, under a proposed set of legislative amendments introduced last week by Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.
Those authorities and others are part of the Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act, announced Nov. 17, which seeks to address port and rail issues highlighted by recent supply-chain problems.
The new act follows a review of the Railway Safety Act that was launched in 2017 and the resulting final report in 2018, as well as the report earlier this year from the National Supply Chain Task Force, which recommended a series of 21 actions to improve the Canadian supply chain [see “Canadian task force issues final report …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 7, 2022]
Other proposed changes include a requirement to review the Railway Safety Act every five years; new prohibitions relating to unruly or dangerous behavior onboard trains or at stations, as well as acts such as tampering with railway operations; new monetary penalties to address an enforcement gap in the program governing transportation of dangerous goods; and a client registration requirement to provide Transport Canada with a comprehensive inventory of those who import, handle, or transport dangerous goods in Canada.
“We are at the phase of our National Supply Chain Strategy where we can start focusing on creating real and tangible change,” Alghabra said in a press release. “Today’s proposed legislative amendments are the result of years of hard work, including reviews and numerous consultations considering the various factors that affect supply chain issues and the lives of Canadians. The work to date will greatly contribute to a long-term strategy that will benefit Canadians and our economy for years to come.”
