TRAN Committee Meeting
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Minutes of Proceedings
Conservative
Bloc Québécois
Philip Lawrence moved, —
Given that,
- Over Labour Day weekend, passengers on VIA Rail Canada Inc. train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck for 10 hours with little communication from VIA Rail Canada Inc., no food, no water, and even a period of no electricity, washrooms or air conditioning, this committee dedicate three meetings to investigate this incident starting the week of Monday, September 16, 2024, and hear from:
- Department of Transport officials for no less than two hours;
- VIA Rail Canada Inc. leadership, including the Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc., for no less than two hours;
- The Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez for no less than two hours by himself; and
This committee condemn the federal government’s failure to sustain reliable passenger transportation systems, as demonstrated by the below and report this finding to the House.
- VIA Rail Canada Inc. passengers were stranded for over 18 hours with little to no communication during Christmas of 2022, 40% of VIA Rail Canada Inc. trains were late in 2023, and VIA Rail Canada Inc. paid out $11 million in bonuses in 2023 despite these failings.
- Canadian airlines are among the lowest ranked North American carriers when it comes to customer satisfaction and Toronto Pearson has been ranked the second worst for largest airport in the continent for overall traveller satisfaction.
Debate arose thereon.
At 11:16 a.m., the meeting was suspended.
At 11:23 a.m., the meeting resumed.
Sherry Romanado moved, — That the motion be amended
(a) by adding after the words “VIA Rail Canada Inc. leadership, including the Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc., for no less than two hours;” the following: “◦ Passengers that were on that train;”
(b) by replacing the words after the words “The Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez for no less than two hours by himself, and” with the words “That this committee request the letter the minister sent to VIA Rail Canada Inc. as reported in the media.”.
Debate arose thereon.
Taylor Bachrach moved, — That the amendment be amended by replacing the words “no food, no water” with the words “limited food and water”.
After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Taylor Bachrach and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Taylor Bachrach, Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Scot Davidson, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 11;
NAYS: — 0.
Philip Lawrence moved, — That the amendment be amended by keeping the following:
“This committee condemn the federal government’s failure to sustain reliable passenger transportation systems, as demonstrated by the below and report this finding to the House.
b. VIA Rail Canada Inc. passengers were stranded for over 18 hours with little to no communication during Christmas of 2022, 40% of VIA Rail Canada Inc. trains were late in 2023, and VIA Rail Canada Inc. paid out $11 million in bonuses in 2023 despite these failings.
c. Canadian airlines are among the lowest ranked North American carriers when it comes to customer satisfaction and Toronto Pearson has been ranked the second worst for largest airport in the continent for overall traveller satisfaction.”.
At 11:49 a.m., the meeting was suspended.
At 11:53 a.m., the meeting resumed.
After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Philip Lawrence and it was negatived on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Taylor Bachrach, Scot Davidson, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys — 5;
NAYS: Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 6.
Taylor Bachrach moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding after the words “as reported in the media.” the following: “The government has failed to provide the leadership and resources required to reestablish reliable and affordable – connecting Canadian communities in the wake of Greyhounds termination of Canadian service.”.
A point of order was raised as to the procedural acceptability of the proposed motion.
RULING BY THE CHAIR
The Chair ruled the proposed amendment inadmissible because it was beyond the scope of the motion.
Whereupon, Taylor Bachrach appealed the decision of the Chair.
The question: "Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?" was put and the decision was sustained on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 6;
NAYS: Taylor Bachrach, Scot Davidson, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys — 5.
Accordingly, the Chair's decision was sustained as the question was not negatived.
The debate on the amendment continued.
The question was put on the amendment of Sherry Romanado, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Scot Davidson, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 10;
NAYS: Taylor Bachrach — 1.
At 12:10 p.m., the meeting was suspended.
At 12:21 p.m., the meeting resumed.
Dan Muys moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding after the words “as reported in the media.” the following: “This committee condemn this Liberal government's failure to protect reliable passenger transportation systems including Canadian bus systems and report this finding to the House.”.
Debate arose thereon.
The question was put on the subamendment of Dan Muys and it was negatived on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Taylor Bachrach, Scot Davidson, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys — 5;
NAYS: Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 6.
The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Taylor Bachrach, Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Sean Casey, Scot Davidson, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Philip Lawrence, Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys, Churence Rogers, Sherry Romanado — 11;
NAYS: — 0.
The motion, as amended, read as follows:
Given that,
Over Labour Day weekend, passengers on VIA Rail Canada Inc. train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck for 10 hours with little communication from VIA Rail Canada Inc., limited food and water, and even a period of no electricity, washrooms or air conditioning, this committee dedicate three meetings to investigate this incident starting the week of Monday, September 16, 2024, and hear from:
- Department of Transport officials for no less than two hours;
- VIA Rail Canada Inc. leadership, including the Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc., for no less than two hours;
- Passengers that were on that train;
- The Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez for no less than two hours by himself, and
That this committee request the letter the minister sent to VIA Rail Canada Inc. as reported in the media.
At 12:27 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.