Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, earlier this month, a CN bridge south of Grande Prairie, Alberta, burned down, causing backlogs for grain shippers who rely on rail to get their products to port. This also means farmers aren’t being paid for their crops because their products aren’t moving. Sadly, this example is just one of many that demonstrate the fragility of Canada’s national supply chain.

Greg Sears, who serves as board chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission, recently said in a Financial Post article, “One bridge washout or fire or any type of event can cause some major impacts.”

He added, “An entire economy is relying on these little ribbons of steel through Canada.”

Minister, farmers must deal with droughts, floods and many more variables that are out of their control. Access to rail transportation should not be an additional barrier. What is your government doing about this matter?

Hon. Paula Simons: Today, the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry released our Treading Water report, which is an analysis of the impact of the 2020-21 floods in central British Columbia. I don’t need to tell you that those floods wiped out roads and rail; left British Columbia disconnected from the Port of Vancouver; and left Alberta, my home province, without any way to get goods in or out.

One of the calls for action in our report is a response from your ministry regarding some of the issues raised in the report. I’m wondering what you can tell us about efforts that have been made to ensure that roads and rail in British Columbia are not going to be subject to the same disastrous consequences as suffered last November.