Legislation

Parliamentary Secretaries are responsible for steering government bills through the full legislative process, from First Reading in the House of Commons to Royal Assent, which is the official term for a bill becoming a Canadian law.  By developing a solid understanding of the issues, engaging in strategic negotiation, delivering numerous speeches and debates and through strong leadership and a lot of hard-work and determination, Mr. Jean played an integral role in the successful passage of each of these pieces of legislation.

C-3: International Bridges and Tunnels Act – creates an approval mechanism for the construction, alteration and acquisition of international bridges and tunnels and provides for the regulation of their operation, maintenance and security.
    First Reading:  April 24, 2006
    Royal Assent:  February 1, 2007

C-11: Canada Transportation Act – provides for a new National Transportation Policy statement, better transportation security and a transportation framework that can better meet future economic and environmental challenges.
    First Reading:  May 4, 2006
    Royal Assent:  June 22, 2007

C-8: Canada Transportation Act (Railway Transportation) – amends the rail freight provisions of the Canada Transportation Act to help protect rail shippers from potential abuse of market power by railways.  Also addresses shipper concerns about rail service and rates, while providing regulatory stability to the railways to encourage investments that are required to keep Canadian exporters and importers competitive in international markets.
    First Reading:  October 29, 2007
    Royal Assent:  February 28, 2008

C-23: Canada Marine Act – amends the act to strengthen the operating framework for Canadian Port Authorities, modify their borrowing regime, provide for access to contribution funding and change some aspects of their governance.  Also includes provisions regarding amalgamation of CPAs and the streamlining of the Canada Marine Act’s enforcement regime.
    First Reading:  November 16, 2007
    Royal Assent:  June 18, 2008

C-9: Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act – amendments focus on the prevention of incidents during the offering, handling, transporting and importing of dangerous goods.  It also expands the response capability for the Government in the event of a safety or security incident involving dangerous goods.
    First Reading:  February 2, 2009
    Royal Assent:  May 14, 2009

C-7: Marine Liability Act – improves Canada’s maritime liability system, ratifies two international conventions and modernizes Canadian maritime law.
    First Reading:  January 29, 2009
    Royal Assent:  June 23, 2009

C-3: Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act – by changing the definition of Arctic Waters to extend the application to 200 nautical miles, it allows Canada to apply its strict pollution control measures further seaward, to increase the security of our waterways and to strengthen the exercise of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.
    First Reading:  January 28, 2009
    Royal Assent:  June 11, 2009


In addition to portfolio legislation, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure & Communities has also conducted a number of important studies on issues that affect all transportation sectors.  Some of the most significant include:

• Rail Safety (2006 - 2008) – In-depth inquiry into rail safety in Canada.  Reflects the Committee’s concerns regarding both the increase in main track derailments and the need for better rail safety generally across the country.
• Navigable Waters Protection Act (2008) – Transport Canada officials asked the Committee to undertake consultations towards developing new navigation protection legislation to replace the current NWPA.  This Act, which was written in 1882, is one of the oldest pieces of legislation in Canada.  The Committee recommended that a series of seven items could be addressed in the short term to improve the legislation and to ease the backlog of projects awaiting approval.
• High Speed Rail and Urban Transit Interconnectivity (2009) - The Committee devoted a significant amount of time and attention to this increasingly important issue facing many Canadian communities.  They studied the feasibility of building a high-speed rail system in Canada, heard from numerous witnesses and made comparisons with Europe, Asia and the United States.  Members of the Committee also travelled to Amtrak facilities in New York and met with representatives in Washington to gain insight into the US “higher” speed rail infrastructure.  Included was research into rail corridor options and urban centre interconnectivity logistics.
• Aviation Safety and Security (2010) - A comprehensive investigation into general aviation safety and security across Canada in the wake of the attempted aircraft bombing in the US in December 2009.  Issues studied included: current global security threats and the effectiveness of ability of Canada’s aviation industry to deal with these threats; the implementation of Safety Management Systems in the aviation sector, the implementation of new-wave scanners in Canadian airports, behavioral profiling, the queuing of passengers at airport security checkpoints; trusted traveler programs (such as NEXUS), the cost of security measures, security area waste and cast-offs, and international best practices.
• Toyota Recalls (2010) - In light of major recalls in early 2010, the Committee decided to investigate the current reporting process of Canadian automobile manufacturers and the conduct of Toyota Canada in this case.  They heard testimony from the President and CEO of Toyota Canada, the Managing Director of Toyota Canada as well as the President and COO of Toyota Motor North America.  The Committee is awaiting additional information from Toyota before making a recommendation.

• C-30, Canada’s Clean Air Act: Appointed by the Prime Minister to sit on the Special Committee on C-30, Canada’s Clean Air Act, in 2006.  This committee sat for an average of 7 – 10 hours a week and the members worked tirelessly to try to develop tougher laws aimed at reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases and improving indoor air quality.
• Environment Committee: Frequently asked to participate in Standing Committee on the Environment hearings, due to his passion for the environment and his in-depth knowledge of the issues.
• Other Committees: His participation has been requested at additional committees including: Human Resources and Social Development, National Defence and the Special Legislative Committee on Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Tackle Crime).

• 2006,  23rd International Air Cargo Forum & Exposition, Vancouver
• 2006,  Public Transit Announcement, Halifax
• 2007,  World Road Congress, Paris
• 2007,  The Canadian Transportation Demand Management Summit, Calgary
• 2008,  Commonwealth Local Government Forum, Vancouver
• 2009,  Green Infrastructure Announcement, Mayo-B, Yukon
• 2010,  Renewable Energy Infrastructure Conference, Toronto

• Acts as liaison between the Minister and the Conservative Caucus, by sharing information, by bringing their concerns to the Minister and by ensuring that relations with all MPs are effective and productive.
• Meets frequently with stakeholders from all sectors of the transport industry and communicates their message to the Minister.  Likewise for infrastructure stakeholders, including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and numerous Mayors and Reeves from across the country. 
• Answers questions in Question Period in the absence of the Minister and the Minister of State.