OTTAWA, Ont. –The Canadian Trucking Alliance is pushing for the federal government to avoid “further duplication and overlap” as Canada considers adding further transportation security measures to an already long list.

CTA officials pleaded their case in an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, as stakeholders were called to present views on Bill C-9, AnAct to Amend the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992.

The bill has been tabled in so that several technical amendments can be made to the current Act, but also to serve as a launching point for regulations governing the security of dangerous goods during transport.

Of particular interest to CTA are provisions in the draft bill dealing with background security checks for drivers, and requirements for security plans, driver training, and route tracking of dangerous goods, the CTA said in a release.

In its presentation, CTA noted that carriers and drivers are already subject to security requirements under programs such as Partners in Protection, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and the Free and Secure Trade Program.

Port security requirements impacting motor carriers are also in place in both Canada and the US, and both governments are rolling out measures to deal with the land transportation movement of cargo destined for a passenger aircraft.

“CTA is not opposed in principle to enhanced security measures for the transportation of danger- ous goods,” said Barrie Montague, CTA’s senior policy advisor.

“However, we do challenge the notion that the country will somehow be more secure if a carrier has two or three or maybe even four security plans instead of just one, or that a driver needs to be trained and background checked multiple times depending on what commodity he is hauling, or where he is going. It is important that the government look at how the measures contained in this bill fit within the broader context of transportation security, and not create a new set of requirements that add costs to the supply chain with little incremental security benefit.”

If Bill C-9 is passed by Parliament, a formal regulation-making process would be conducted later this year. •