Mr. Chair, thank you for inviting us once again to appear to discuss our report on accessible transportation for persons with disabilities, which was tabled in March 2023.

Our audit covered a period of about two and a half years, which ended in 2022. I would also like to point out that we have not audited the measures taken by the government since our last appearance before this committee.

I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Joining me today are Milan Duvnjak, principal, who was responsible for the audit, and Susie Fortier, director, who led the audit team.

In this audit, we examined whether VIA Rail, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, or CATSA, and the Canadian Transportation Agency, or CTA, worked to identify, remove and prevent barriers for travellers with disabilities. In 2019 and 2020, more than one million people with disabilities who travelled on a federally regulated mode of transportation faced a barrier.

We found that all three organizations had identified some barriers and taken steps to improve accessibility. VIA Rail conducted consultations with persons with disabilities during the design of its new fleet. The corporation also held consultations on its accessibility plans and training programs, as did the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

However, improvements were still needed in many important areas. For example, online information wasn't fully accessible. According to Statistics Canada, this is one of the most common barriers experienced by travellers with disabilities. Inadequate accessibility means that information is hard to find or incorrect when someone is using a screen reader. This makes it difficult for people with disabilities to plan or book a trip on their own.

We also found that staff and management did not always complete accessibility training. This can affect the service provided to travellers with disabilities and their companions.

As the organization responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations in the transportation industry, the Canadian Transportation Agency identified accessibility barriers through its inspections, and it worked with transportation service providers to remove some. However, we found that the agency conducted few inspections, and it could only request complaint data from service providers in certain circumstances. Consistent access to this data would help the agency improve its oversight.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and Via Rail focused on resolving individual complaints, and they missed opportunities to use complaint data to better understand travellers' lived experiences.

Everyone has a right to participate fully and equally in society. If access to these rights is delayed or denied, the impact is that some members of society are excluded or left behind. To further improve accessibility of trains, planes and other federally regulated modes of transportation, responsible organizations need to broaden their consultations with persons with disabilities. They need to make their online content fully accessible and use complaint data to identify, learn about and prevent barriers.

This work is necessary to achieve the federal government's goal of a barrier-free Canada by 2040.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee has.

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