August 1, 2014, 2014 – Transport Canada
The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, today launched a second stage of consultations with a view to strengthen the liability and compensation regime and ensure railways and shippers are held accountable in the event of an incident.
The Government of Canada is enhancing insurance requirements for federally regulated railways and establishing supplementary compensation for incidents involving dangerous goods. Consultations began last winter and this second stage of consultations will involve discussions with key stakeholders to help define specifics of the new regime.
Once finalized, the new regime will ensure that sufficient funds are available to compensate potential victims and pay for clean-up costs in the event of a catastrophic incident. The railway disaster in Lac-Mégantic, and the insurance coverage carried by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MM&A) Railway at the time of the accident, highlighted the importance of strengthening the current regime.
The discussion paper from the first round of consultations which provides information about review of the liability and compensation regime for federal railways, can be found on the Transport Canada web page:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/policy/acg-acgb-menu.htm
Jana Régimbal
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Lisa Raitt
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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