Mr. Speaker, like the hon. member, our hearts, on this side of the House, go out to the family that tragically lost a loved one.

I want to thank the hon. member for his leadership on this issue as well as for his incredible leadership on ocean plastics. I know we, on this side of the House, have appreciated his advocacy.

Just to let the hon. member know, this is a very important issue to me. I was a city councillor for two terms. I commissioned some of the first cycling studies and took action in the early 1990s in the area of active transportation, and today I am proud to say that Winnipeg has a very well-developed network and an active transportation system.

I welcome this opportunity to provide information on how the Government of Canada is supporting the safety of vulnerable road users, including cyclists. While cycling is primarily a local issue that is the responsibility of municipalities, provinces and territories, our government is showing leadership on numerous cycling-related task forces. Our government is committed to ensuring the safety of all road users and recognizes the importance of cycling as a mode of active transportation. To this end, Transport Canada is working with the provinces, territories and other federal departments on a number of cycling-related initiatives.

In September 2016, under the Minister of Transport' s leadership, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety created a task force to examine safety measures to protect pedestrians and cyclists around heavy vehicles. Following extensive consultations and support from all jurisdictions, the task force published a report that includes 57 safety measures to better protect vulnerable road users, including segregated cycling tracks, speed and red light cameras and warning signals in heavy trucks to detect nearby pedestrians and cyclists.

We are taking action by developing safety measures that fall within federal jurisdiction, such as pilot projects on detection and visibility systems, and by exploring potential regulatory action concerning automatic emergency braking systems and advanced driver-assist systems. Currently, the federal government supports cyclist safety through infrastructure programs that provide flexibility to provinces, territories and municipalities to determine priority projects that will make a difference in their regions, such as funding for the construction of bicycle lanes and paths and the installation of bicycle racks on city buses.

Also of note, the Public Health Agency of Canada, along other government departments, is spearheading an effort to strengthen relationships between federal partners working on files related to designing sustainable communities for healthy living, including opportunities to encourage active transportation.

Finally, with a view to complementing this work, Transport Canada is conducting preliminary research on the feasibility of collecting cycling data and the development of metrics to assess the connectivity of cycling networks. We will continue to collaborate with partners on this very important issue the hon. member has raised today.

Terry Duguid

$589,053.00