It was the first ministerial Senate QP with the advent of Peter Harder’s arrival as “government representative,” so it remained to be seen how this would change things. Senator Carignan started off, asking about rail safety, and more specifically around high-risk crossings. Garneau first thanked the senators for inviting him, before responding that the risk crossing database was a tool used by the department for investigative purposes and he was meeting with the Federation of Municipalities in a couple of weeks. Carignan asked further about the database, and Garneau explained some of the risk assessment measures related to it.

Senator Cowan asked about drones, and the regulations for use thereof. Garneau said that he shared the sense of urgency around their use, and relayed some of his concerns around things like drones near airports, which was a hazard. Senator Dawson took the supplemental, asking about the problem of laser pointers targeting airplane pilots. Garneau shared the urgency of the issue, but it was not a matter of regulations but rather one of raising awareness of the dangers, and noted that it’s a crime that merits five years in jail or $100,000 in fines.

Senator Plett asked about the lawsuit launched by Air Canada by Quebec regarding the Aveos workers. Plett was concerned that the jobs promised by Bombardier would only be up to 40 percent of the same workforce and not for years down the road. Garneau noted that the situation has evolved, and said that Bill C-10 does specify the need for jobs in Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario.

Senator Runciman asked about face recognition biometric lookouts at airports. Garneau said that he works with CATSA and public safety on these kinds of issues, and noted that he did his masters thesis on facial recognition.

Senator Jaffer first made a statement about the problem of unaccompanied minors, before going to a question on transport issues in the lower mainland in places like Surrey. Garneau noted the investments in transit and infrastructure before talking about ports and bottle-necking.

Senator Rivard asked about ports and shovel-ready projects like the expansion of the Quebec City port and ferry-terminal, and that troublesome Quebec City rail bridge. Garneau noted the studies on the port, and regarding the bridge, Garneau mentioned meetings that they had, but assured him that while the bridge is ugly, it is safe.

Senator MacDonald asked about the sunsetting of the rail interswitching rates for grain, for which Garneau said that they have not made a decision but they are “hunched over” the report.

Overall, it was a good series of exchanges, and this time we only had one really long-winded question (being Senator Rivard, who got cautioned by the Speaker toward the end). Peter Harder was not a real presence during this exercise, and it was interesting that in the new seating plan, the seat next to Harder is being kept empty for the time being, which gave space for ministers to sit. (This will be an issue once the Senate is back up to full-strength, and the minister will have to return to the floor and the problem of the dodgy microphones).

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Senator Nicole Eaton for a tailored grey pinstripe jacket with a black skirt and white top, and to Senator Michael MacDonald for a dark grey three-piece suit with a white shirt and red tartan tie. Style citations go out to Senator Dennis Dawson for the unfortunate choice of a black double-breasted suit jacket with an otherwise lovely pink shirt and colourful bow tie, and to Senator Beth Marshall for a busy blue, black and white dress with a blue jacket.