Canada Transportation Act (S.C. 1996, c. 10)

Marginal note:Confidential information — other persons

• 51.11 (1) Information that is required to be provided under subsection 50(1.001) to persons referred to in subsection 50(1.1) who are subject to the legislative authority of Parliament or any users, other than passengers, of the national transportation system is, when it is received by those persons, confidential and must not knowingly be disclosed or made available by any person without the authorization of the person who provided the information, except for the purposes of a prosecution of a contravention of section 173.

• Marginal note:Safe and secure procedures

  (2) The persons referred to in subsection 50(1.1) who are subject to the legislative authority of Parliament and any users, other than passengers, of the national transportation system must ensure that the procedures and physical measures taken to ensure the confidentiality of information provided to them under this Act, including the keeping of electronic data, are safe and secure.

Marginal note:Confidentiality of information — Agency

51.2 Information that is required to be provided to the Agency in accordance with regulations made under paragraph 50(1.01)(a) is, when it is received by the Agency, confidential and shall not knowingly be disclosed or made available by any person without the authorization of the person who provided the information, except for the purpose of a prosecution of a contravention of section 173.

Marginal note:Use of information

51.3 Information that is provided to the Minister or the Agency in accordance with regulations made under paragraph 50(1.01)(a) is only to be used by the Agency for the purpose of determining the long-haul interswitching rate referred to in paragraph 134(1)(a) and, despite subsection 51(4) and section 51.2, the Agency may, for that purpose, communicate the information in an aggregated form.

Marginal note:Publication

• 51.4 (1) If the Agency receives information from class 1 rail carriers or the Minister that is related to service and performance indicators provided in accordance with regulations made under paragraph 50(1.01)(b), the Agency shall publish the information on its Internet site within two days after it is received.

• Marginal note:Information received from Minister

  (2) Subsection 51(4) does not apply to the publication, in accordance with subsection (1), of information that is received from the Minister.

Marginal note:Order

• 51.5 (1) If the Minister is of the opinion that there exists an unusual and significant disruption to the effective continued operation of the national transportation system, the Minister may, by order, require any persons referred to in subsection 50(1.1) who are subject to the legislative authority of Parliament or any users, other than passengers, of the national transportation system to provide to the Minister information, other than personal information as defined in section 3 of the Privacy Act, that the Minister considers relevant to the assessment of the cause of the disruption or the mitigation or resolution of the disruption.

• Marginal note:Order is temporary

  (2) An order made under this section has effect for the period, not exceeding 90 days, that is specified in the order.

• Marginal note:Not a statutory instrument

  (3) The order is not a statutory instrument within the meaning of the Statutory Instruments Act.

• Marginal note:Disclosure of information

  (4) Despite subsection 51(1), the Minister may disclose information that has been provided to the Minister under this section to any person for the purposes of the mitigation or resolution of the disruption.

Industry Review

Marginal note:Industry overview

• 52 (1) Each year before the end of May, the Minister shall, using the most current information available, prepare and lay before both Houses of Parliament a report providing a brief overview of the state of transportation in Canada.

• Marginal note:Industry review

  (2) Every five years, the report referred to in subsection (1) shall be expanded to a comprehensive review of the state of transportation in Canada which shall include

  • (a) the financial performance of each mode of transportation and its contribution to the Canadian economy;

  • (b) the extent to which carriers and modes of transportation were provided resources, facilities and services at public expense;

  • (c) the extent to which carriers and modes of transportation received compensation, indirectly and directly, for the resources, facilities and services that were required to be provided as an imposed public duty;

  • (c.1) the long term outlook and trends in transportation in Canada; and

  • (d) any other transportation matters that the Minister considers appropriate.

Review of Act

Marginal note:Statutory review

• 53 (1) The Minister shall, no later than eight years after the day this subsection comes into force, appoint one or more persons to carry out a comprehensive review of the operation of this Act and any other Act of Parliament for which the Minister is responsible that pertains to the economic regulation of a mode of transportation or to transportation activities under the legislative authority of Parliament.

• Marginal note:Objective of review

  (2) The person or persons conducting the review shall assess whether the legislation referred to in subsection (1) provides Canadians with a transportation system that is consistent with the national transportation policy set out in section 5 and, if necessary or desirable, may recommend amendments to

  • (a) the national transportation policy; and

  • (b) the legislation referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Consultations

  (3) The review shall be undertaken in consultation with purchasers and suppliers of transportation services and any other persons whom the Minister considers appropriate.

• Marginal note:Powers on review

  (4) Every person appointed to carry out the review has, for the purposes of the review, the powers of a commissioner under Part I of the Inquiries Act and may engage the services of experts, professionals and other staff deemed necessary for making the review at the rates of remuneration that the Treasury Board approves.

• Marginal note:Report

  (5) The review shall be completed and a report of the review submitted to the Minister within 18 months after the appointment referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Tabling of report

  (6) The Minister shall have a copy of the report laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first thirty days on which that House is sitting after the Minister receives it.

Review of Mergers and Acquisitions

Marginal note:Notice

• 53.1 (1) Every person who is required to notify the Commissioner of Competition under subsection 114(1) of the Competition Act of a proposed transaction that involves a transportation undertaking shall, at the same time as the Commissioner is notified and, in any event, not later than the date by which the person is required to notify the Commissioner,

  • (a) give notice of the proposed transaction to the Minister; and

  • (b) in the case of a proposed transaction that involves an air transportation undertaking, also give notice of the transaction to the Agency.

• Marginal note:Information

  (2) A notice given to the Minister or to the Agency shall, subject to the regulations, contain the information required under subsection 114(1) of the Competition Act. The notice shall also contain any information with respect to the public interest as it relates to national transportation that is required under any guidelines that shall be issued and published by the Minister. After receipt of a notice, the Minister may require the person who has given the notice to provide further information.

• Marginal note:Guidelines

  (2.1) The guidelines referred to in subsection (2) shall be elaborated in consultation with the Competition Bureau and shall include factors that may be considered to determine whether a proposed transaction raises issues with respect to the public interest as it relates to national transportation.

• Marginal note:Not statutory instruments

  (3) The guidelines referred to in subsection (2) are not statutory instruments within the meaning of the Statutory Instruments Act.

• Marginal note:No public interest issues

  (4) If the Minister is of the opinion that the proposed transaction does not raise issues with respect to the public interest as it relates to national transportation, the Minister shall, within 42 days after a person gives notice under subsection (1), give notice of the opinion to that person, in which case sections 53.2 and 53.3 do not apply in respect of that transaction.

• Marginal note:Public interest issues

  (5) If the Minister is of the opinion that the proposed transaction raises issues with respect to the public interest as it relates to national transportation, the Minister may direct the Agency to examine those issues under section 49 or appoint and direct any person to examine those issues under section 7.1 of the Department of Transport Act.

• Marginal note:Report

  (6) The Agency or person, as the case may be, shall report to the Minister within 150 days after being directed under subsection (5), or within any longer period that the Minister may allow.

Marginal note:Prohibition

• 53.2 (1) No person shall complete a proposed transaction referred to in subsection 53.1(1) unless the transaction is approved by the Governor in Council and, in the case of a transaction that involves an air transportation undertaking, the Agency determines that the transaction would result in an undertaking that is Canadian as defined in subsection 55(1).

• Marginal note:Commissioner’s report

  (2) The Commissioner of Competition shall within 150 days after the Commissioner is notified of the proposed transaction under subsection 114(1) of the Competition Act, or within any longer period that the Minister may allow, report to the Minister and the parties to the transaction on any concerns regarding potential prevention or lessening of competition that may occur as a result of the transaction.

• Marginal note:Report to be made public

  (3) The report shall be made public immediately after its receipt by the Minister.

• Marginal note:Concerns relating to public interest and competition

  (4) After receipt of the Commissioner’s report and any report given under subsection 53.1(6), but before the Minister makes a recommendation for the purposes of subsection (7), the Minister shall

  • (a) consult with the Commissioner regarding any overlap between any concerns that the Minister has in respect of the proposed transaction with regard to the public interest as it relates to national transportation and any concerns in respect of the transaction that are raised in the Commissioner’s report; and

  • (b) request the parties to the transaction to address

    • (i) with the Minister any concerns that the Minister has in respect of the transaction with regard to the public interest as it relates to national transportation, and

    • (ii) with the Commissioner any concerns that the Commissioner has regarding potential prevention or lessening of competition that may occur as a result of the transaction.

• Marginal note:Measures to address concerns

  (5) The parties to the transaction shall

  • (a) after conferring with the Minister regarding concerns referred to in subparagraph (4)(b)(i), inform the Minister of any measures they are prepared to undertake to address those concerns; and

  • (b) after conferring with the Commissioner regarding concerns identified under subparagraph (4)(b)(ii), inform the Commissioner of any measures they are prepared to undertake to address those concerns.

  The parties may propose revisions to the transaction.

• Marginal note:Preconditions to recommendation

  (6) Before making a recommendation for the purposes of subsection (7), the Minister shall obtain the Commissioner’s assessment of the adequacy of any undertaking proposed by the parties to address the concerns that have been identified under subparagraph (4)(b)(ii) and the effects of any proposed revisions to the transaction on those concerns.

• Marginal note:Approval of Governor in Council

  (7) If the Governor in Council is satisfied that it is in the public interest to approve the proposed transaction, taking into account any revisions to it proposed by the parties and any measures they are prepared to undertake, the Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister, approve the transaction and specify any terms and conditions that the Governor in Council considers appropriate. The Governor in Council shall indicate those terms and conditions that relate to potential prevention or lessening of competition and those that relate to the public interest as it relates to national transportation.

• Marginal note:Variation of terms and conditions

  (8) On application by a person who is subject to terms and conditions specified under subsection (7), the Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister, vary or rescind the terms and conditions. If the terms and conditions to be varied or rescinded affect competition, the Minister shall consult with the Commissioner before making the recommendation.

• Marginal note:Commissioner’s representations

  (9) If the Minister directs the Agency under section 49 to inquire into any matter or thing to assist the Minister in making a recommendation under subsection (7) or (8), the Agency shall give notice of the inquiry to the Commissioner and allow the Commissioner to make representations to the Agency.

• Marginal note:Compliance with terms and conditions

  (10) Every person who is subject to terms and conditions shall comply with them.